Uplink power control for cooperative communications

Abstract

Various aspects of the present disclosure relate to a virtual user equipment (VUE) and method for uplink power control by the VUE. The method includes communicatively connecting to and collaborating with at least one second UE to enable a VUE, each UE within the VUE having at least one closed-loop uplink power control loop, with at least a first loop of the at least one loop of each UE assigned to be utilized for VUE communications. The method includes determining, by a processor of the user equipment, a number of trackable closed-loop uplink power control loops for VUE communications as a sum of a number of first loops of each UE within the VUE. The method further includes forwarding to a serving base station of the VUE, an indication of the number of trackable closed-loop uplink power control loops for VUE communications.

Description

UPLINK POWER CONTROL FOR COOPERATIVE COMMUNICATIONS PRIORITY

[0001] The present application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application, Ser. No. 63,556,847, filed on February 22, 2024, the entire content of which is incorporated herein. RELATED APPLICATION

[0002] The present application is related to commonly-assigned PCT Application Ser. No. (Attorney Docket No. SMM920230273-WO-PCT), filed on even date herewith. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present disclosure relates to wireless communications, and more specifically to uplink transmission via a virtual user equipment comprised of multiple interconnected individual user equipments. BACKGROUND

[0004] A wireless communications system may include one or multiple network communication devices, such as base stations, which may support wireless communications for one or multiple user communication devices, which may be otherwise known as user equipment (UE), or other suitable terminology. The wireless communications system may support wireless communications with one or multiple user communication devices by utilizing resources of the wireless communication system (e.g., time resources (e.g., symbols, slots, subframes, frames, or the like) or frequency resources (e.g., subcarriers, carriers, or the like). Additionally, the wireless communications system may support wireless communications across various radio access technologies including third generation (3G) radio access technology, fourth generation (4G) radio access technology, fifth generation (5G) radio access technology, among other suitable radio access technologies beyond 5G (e.g., sixth generation (6G)). SUMMARY

[0005] According to one aspect, a virtual user equipment (VUE) is configured to determine and report how many closed-loop power control processes can be tracked by the VUE based on the number of intra-VUE user equipments (UEs) that allocate one of its closed-loop power Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCTcontrol processes to track VUE According to another aspect, the VUE reports changes to the set of UEs within the VUE that are available to track TPC commands and informs the base station of characteristics of the changes, including affected indices of PUSCH power control adjustment states. According to another aspect, a base station is configured to receive an indication of the number of trackable closed-loop power control processes for the VUE and any subsequent changes to the number along with their associated indices and provide a scheduling command based on the number and their associated indices.

[0006] In some implementations of the method and apparatuses described herein, a user equipment (UE) includes at least one memory. The UE includes at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory. The at least one processor is configured to cause the user equipment to communicatively connect to and collaborate with at least one second UE to enable a virtual UE (VUE), each UE within the VUE having at least one closed-loop uplink power control loop, and at least a first loop among the at least one closed-loop uplink power control loop of each UE assigned to be utilized for VUE communications. The at least one processor is configured to cause the user equipment to determine a number of trackable closed-loop uplink power control loops for the VUE communications as a sum of a number of first loops of each UE within the VUE. The at least one processor is configured to cause the user equipment to forward, to a serving base station of the VUE, an indication of the number of trackable closed-loop uplink power control loops for the VUE communications.

[0007] Some implementations of the method and apparatuses described herein may further include a base station for wireless communication. The base station includes at least one memory, and at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory. The at least one processor is configured to cause the base station to receive an indication from a first user (UE) equipment, the indication indicating the first UE is an anchor UE for a virtual UE (VUE) having the first UE configured as the anchor UE with at least one second UE communicatively connected to the anchor UE to collaborate as the VUE. The at least one processor is configured to cause the base station to receive a capability reporting signaling from the VUE and determine, from the capability reporting signaling, a number of physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) power control indices the VUE is able to track. The at least one processor is configured to cause the base station to generate a mapping between a Spatial Relation Information (SRI) value and a PUSCH power control adjustment state index, and a Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCTpathloss estimate. The at least one processor is configured to cause the base station to transmit a downlink control information (DCI) that comprises an SRI value and that schedules an UL transmission with a TPC command associated to a PUSCH power control adjustment state index that is derived from the SRI value.

[0008] The above contains simplifications, generalizations and omissions of detail and is not intended as a comprehensive description of the claimed subject matter but, rather, is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the functionality associated therewith. Other systems, methods, functionality, features, and advantages of the claimed subject matter will be or will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the figures and the remaining detailed written description. The above as well as additional objectives, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description.

[0009] Within the description and claims, an article “a” before an element is unrestricted and understood to refer to “at least one” of those elements or “one or more” of those elements. The terms “a,” “at least one,” “one or more,” and “at least one of one or more” may be interchangeable. As used herein, including in the claims, “or” as used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items prefaced by a phrase such as “at least one of” or “one or more of” or “one or both of”) indicates an inclusive list such that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Also, as used herein, the phrase “based on” shall not be construed as a reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, an example step that is described as “based on condition A” may be based on both a condition A and a condition B without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase “based on” shall be construed in the same manner as the phrase “based at least in part on. Further, as used herein, including in the claims, a “set” may include one or more elements. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system with a virtual user equipment (VUE), in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0011] Figure 2 illustrates a first embodiment of a VUE, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCT

[0012] Figure 3 illustrates a first of a network-transparent VUE with interconnected nodes providing a collaborative VUE maximum output power indicated via the anchor UE to the base station, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0013] Figure 4 illustrates a communication timing diagram presenting intra-VUE communication for VUE power class determination and VUE-to-base station communication for scheduling uplink communication, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 5 illustrates a non-network-transparent VUE utilizing FDM transmission scheme for uplink transmission where each UE having similar maximum power spectral density for a reference bandwidth of the time-frequency resource, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 6 illustrates an embodiment of the VUE of Figure 3 with one second UE no longer available for VUE uplink communication, reducing the VUE maximum output power, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 7 illustrates a second communication timing diagram for the VUE configuration of Figure 6, with modification of DCI handling for VUE uplink communication triggered by the updated VUE maximum output power, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 8 illustrates a VUE comprising multiple inter-connected UEs each presenting at least one trackable closed-loop power control process for VUE tracking of TCP commands, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 9 illustrates the VUE of Figure 8 having one second UE temporarily unavailable to provide tracking of closed-loop power control process of TCP commands for the VUE, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 10 illustrates a communication timing diagram presenting intra-VUE and VUE-to-base station communication for indicating a number of available closed-loop power control processes for VUE tracking of TCP commands, with a subsequent change in availability by at least one second UE for VUE tracking, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 11 illustrates an example of a user equipment (UE) in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCT

[0021] Figure 12 illustrates an example a processor in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 13 illustrates an example of a network equipment (NE) in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 14 illustrates a flowchart of method performed by a UE in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 15 illustrates a flowchart of method performed by a NE in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] A virtual user equipment (VUE) can be generally described as an interconnected grouping of two or more UEs that collaborate and / or cooperate with each other to provide UE functions as a single UE and which is presented to the network (i.e., network entity or base station) via an anchor UE or gateway UE as a single UE for network to VUE communication and VUE to network communication. UE cooperation within a VUE configuration / architecture can offer several benefits, such as traffic offload, capacity improvement, power saving, and distributed processing. One approach to UE cooperation can be to view a group of cooperative UEs as one UE (referred to as virtual UE) from the network perspective. That is, the network (i.e., the network devices, such as the base station(s)) sees (e.g., directly communicates with) the collaboration of multiple devices as a single “device” being served on the user and control planes. Such cooperation can occur using device-to-device communication amongst nearby devices (i.e., devices that are in direct communication range of each other).

[0026] Uplink power control procedure determines a power for physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), sounding reference signal (SRS), and physical random access channel (PRACH) transmissions. Selecting a proper transmission power not only helps a UE to save power, but also can reduce inter-cell interference. One or more aspects of the present disclosure focuses on changes needed and / or that are useful for power control procedures applicable to PUSCH transmissions. In particular, the disclosure provides features corresponding with the following described procedures. Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCT

[0027] A first procedure involves a power class (or maximum transmission power) for a VUE that includes (or is configured via) multiple collaborating nodes, including a primary or anchor UE and at least one second UE. It is appreciated that a minimum number of two UEs are required to establish a VUE. While there is no specific limitation about the upper bounds of the number of collaborating UEs within a VUE, for practical applications, the number of cooperating UEs should remain manageable to avoid complexity of overhead and the VUE management complexity and power output required for managing the intra- VUE communications.

[0028] For a network-transparent VUE architecture, where the network (e.g., the serving base station, gNB) is unaware of the current VUE’s architecture, a second procedure includes determining transmission power for each intra-VUE node collaborating in an uplink (UL) data communication based on the scheduling downlink control information (DCI), VUE power class, and internal VUE communication. The internal VUE communication can include, for example, communication to determine to which node, and potentially to what extent the transmit power control (TPC) command or open loop power indicated in DCI is to be applied.

[0029] For a non-network-transparent VUE architecture, where the network (base station or gNB) is aware of the current VUE architecture (i.e., the UEs that make up the VUE), a third procedure involves (i) determining a time window in which DCIs received are to be discarded after a change in VUE architecture is detected and (ii) indicating which intra-VUE nodes are to cooperate for a data transmission in a buffer status report (BSR) transmission associated with the data of the data transmission.

[0030] The present disclosure recognizes that the non-network-transparent VUE architecture would provide potentially better performance (e.g., in terms of data rate, as different intra- VUE nodes can be associated with different transmission beams). The present disclosure further recognizes that non-network-transparent VUE architecture may require additional overhead and may sometimes result in inaccuracies due to different nodes leaving / joining the VUE or transitioning to / from idle mode.

[0031] Aspects of the disclosure provide for determination of transmission power for each cooperating node in a VUE configuration. Specific implementation includes determining a power class / PCMAX for a VUE based on the number of intra-VUE nodes and their Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCTcorresponding local power class / PCMAX. network-transparent VUE architecture, the disclosure provides determining transmission power of each cooperating node based on a scheduling DCI command, providing a single SRI and / or TPC command, internal VUE communication, and the VUE PC or PCMAX. The disclosure further provides for determining to which node a TPC command is applicable, in both cases of absolute TPC and TPC accumulation. For network-non-transparent VUE architecture, the disclosure provides determining timing associated with a change in the VUE architecture in which scheduling DCI commands are to be ignored. Also, an indication of which nodes will cooperate in an UL transmission is provided within a BSR.

[0032] With conventional applications, each intra-VUE node transmits assuming the TPC command is applicable to that node, which results in higher / lower VUE transmission power that is commanded by the network. Alternatively, the transmission power for some nodes may reach their maximum or minimum value, and therefore not all the indicated power is to be used. Also, with conventional applications, TPC command is applied to only one UE (a gate-way UE), which limits the communication dimensions if more than one UE can connect to the network. Additionally, with conventional applications, if a power class is not defined for the VUE, VUE UL transmission power may be limited to a single UE transmission power (e.g., that of the gate-way UE or anchor UE).

[0033] In contrast, by implementing the features of the present disclosure, the VUE reports its power class based on the number of intra-VUE nodes and their corresponding local power classes. Additionally, the VUE determines transmission power for each cooperating node based on the scheduling DCI, internal VUE communication, and the VUE PC. The VUE also determines a window in which the scheduling DCI commands are to be discarded in case a change in VUE architecture is detected (e..g, temporary loss of uplink capcability of one of the nodes).

[0034] According to another aspect of the disclosure, the set of nodes tracking TCP commands is determined internally by the VUE. Specifically, VUE triggers each node to report the number of closed loop power control processes that can be tracked by the node for the VUE-related communications. This number corresponds to the number of power control adjustment states that the VUE can have. Using this information, a base station is then able Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCTto generate a DCI with a specific SRI that is utilized to determine / derive a PUSCH power control adjustment state.

[0035] In the published wireless communication specifications, the UE power classes define the maximum output power (in dBm) for any transmission bandwidth within the channel bandwidth of a new radio (NR) carrier, unless otherwise stated. The period of measurement for the UE power class is at least one sub frame (1ms). If a UE transmits a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) on active uplink (UL) bandwidth part (BWP) ^^of carrier ^^of serving cell ^^using parameter set configuration with index ^^and PUSCH power control adjustment state with index ^, the UE determines the PUSCH transmission power ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^in PUSCH transmission occasion ^^as ^ ^ ^PCMAX, f , c( i ), ^ ^PPUSCH,b , f,c(i, j,q d, l) = min ^ PUSCH ^ ^^l )^^^- power specification for carrier ^ of serving cell ^ in PUSCH transmission occasion ^. -^O_PUSCH^^^^^^^^^ is a parameter composed of the sum of a component^^^ and a component ^O_UE_PUSCH^^^^^^^^^ where ^ ^ ^^^^^^ ^ ^^^.- For ^^^^^^^^^•for ^ ^ ^^, a set of ^^^^^^^^^ values are provided by a set of alpha in P0-PUSCH-AlphaSet indicated by a respective set of p0-PUSCH-AlphaSetId for active UL BWP ^ of carrier ^ of serving cell ^ - ^^^^^^^!^^"^^^^^ is the bandwidth of the PUSCH resource assignment expressed in numberfor PUSCH transmission occasion ^ on active UL BWP ^ of carrier ^ of serving cell ^ and # is a SCS configuration defined in the published specification. - ^$^^^^^^^%^ is a downlink pathloss estimate in dB calculated by the UE using reference signal (RS) index ^%for the active DL BWP, as described in clause 12, of carrier ^ of serving cell ^ Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCT) ^= / > and &'(^^^^^^^^^ ) ^BWP ^ of each carrier. more than one layer,&'(^^^^^^^^^ ) ^. ?@AB and 4^^ !"566789 , for active UL BWP ^ of each carrier ^ and each^, are computed as provided below.PUSCH power control adjustment state ^^^^^^^^^ ^^ for active UL BWP ^ ofcarrier ^ of serving cell ^ in PUSCH transmission ^-C !"^^^^^^^^^ ^^ is a TPC command value a DCI format that schedulesoccasion ^ on active UL BWP ^ of carrier ^ of serving cell ^ orjointly coded with other TPC commands in a DCI format 2_2 with CRC scrambled by TPC-PUSCH-RNTI -^ ^^^ ^ ^^^^^^ - ^ EC^GH^I,^^^^ ^ ^ ) ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ D JK- C^^ !"^^^^^^^F^ ^^ is the PUSCH power controlserving cell ^ and PUSCHtransmission occasion ^ if the UE is not provided tpc-Accumulation, where - The C^^ !"^^^^^^values are given in a table provided within the published specifications -EC^GH^I,JK- C^^ !"^^^^^^^F^ ^^ is a sum of TPC command values in a set LM of TPCM^ that the UE receives between;^^ !"^^ ^ ^-^ ^ ^ symbols before PUSCH transmission occasion ^ ^ ^- and;^^ !"^^^ symbols before PUSCH transmission occasion ^ on active UL BWP ^of carrier ^ of serving cell ^ for PUSCH power control adjustment state ^ ,where ^- N ^ is the smallest integer for which ;^^ !"^^ ^ ^-^ symbols beforePUSCH transmission occasion ^ ^ ^- is earlier than ;^^ !"^^^ symbols beforePUSCH transmission occasion ^ - If a PUSCH transmission is scheduled by a DCI format, ;^^ !"^^^ is a number of symbols for active UL BWP ^ of carrier ^ of serving cell ^ after a last symbol of a corresponding PDCCH reception and before a first symbol of the PUSCH transmission Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCT- If a PUSCH transmission is by ConfiguredGrantConfig, ;^^ !"^^^ is a number of ;^^ !"^OPQsymbols equal to the product of a number of symbols per slot, R77SU5O9T , and the minimum of the values provided by k2 in PUSCH- ConfigCommon for active UL BWP ^ of carrier ^ of serving cell ^ - If the first symbol of the PUSCH transmission occasion occurs within VWX5Y^Zafter a last symbol of a CORESET where the UE detects the DCI format providing the TPC command, the UE may postpone the application of the TPC command until the above condition is not valid. VWX5Y^Zis the PUSCH preparation time for the corresponding UE processing capability assuming ^Z^, ) ^, and # corresponds to the smallest SCS configuration between theSCS configuration of the PDCCH carrying the DCI format and the SCS configuration of the PUSCH. - If the UE has reached maximum power for active UL BWP ^ of carrier ^ of serving cell ^ at PUSCH transmission occasion ^ ^ ^- andEC^GH^I,JK- C^^ !"^^^^^^^F^ ^^ [ ^ , then ^^^^^^^^^ ^^ ) ^^^^^^^^ ^ ^-^ ^^-^ of serving cell ^ at PUSCH transmission occasion ^ ^ ^- and EC^GH^I,JK- C^^ !"^^^^^^^F^ ^^ \^, then ^^^^^^^^^ ^^ ) ^^^^^^^^ ^ ^-^ ^^-A UEPUSCH power control adjustment state ^ foractive UL BWP ^ of carrier ^ of serving cell ^ to ^^^^^^^]^ ^^ ) ^^ ] ) ^^^^^ ^ ^- If a configuration for a correspondingvalue is providedby higher layers - If a configuration for a corresponding ^^^^^^^^^value is provided by higher layers where ^ is determined from the value of ^ as -If ^ N ^ and the UE is provided higher SRI-PUSCH-PowerControl, ^ is thesri-PUSCH-ClosedLoopIndex value(s) configured in any SRI-PUSCH- PowerControl with the sri-P0-PUSCH-AlphaSetId value corresponding to ^ Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCT- If ^ N ^ and the UE is provided SRI-PUSCH-PowerControl or ^ ) ^,^ ) ^ if ^̂ _^0_^^ !"^^^^^^^^^ and ^^^^^^^^^` are provided by the second^^ ^ ^a^bc ^ d^efg^hi`jk`e^ ^ d^efg^hil; otherwise, ^ ) ^- If ^ ) ^,- ^ is provided by the value of powerControlLoopToUse if^̂ _^0_^^ !"^^^^^^^^^ and ^^^^^^^^^ are provided by p0-PUSCH-Alpha inConfiguredGrantConfig -^ is provided by the value of powerControlLoopToUse2 if^̂ _^0_^^ !"^^^^^^^^^ and ^^^^^^^^^ are provided by p0-PUSCH-Alpha2-^^^^^^^^^ ^^ power control adjustment state for activeserving cell ^ and PUSCH transmission ioccasion if the UE is provided tpc-Accumulation, where, - C^^ !"^^^^^^absolute values are given in the table provided in the published specification.

[0037] If the UE transmits a PUSCH associated with the first RS resource index ^%, the UEapplies the first ^m_nB_@nopq^^^^^^^^^ value, the first ^^^^^^^^^ value, and ^^^^^^^^^ ^^ fordetermining ^@nopq^^^^^^^^^ ^^ ^% ^ ^^. If the UE transmits a PUSCH associated with the secondRS resource index ^% , the UE applies the second ^m_nB_@nopq^^^^^^^^^ value, the second^^^^^^^^^ value, and ^^^^^^^^^ ^^ or ^^^^^^^^^ ^^ if twoPUSCH-PC-AdjustmentStates is providedor not provided, respectively, for determining ^@nopq^^^^^^^^^ ^^ ^%^ ^^.

[0038] As provided within the specifications, a number of PUSCH power control adjustment states are maintained by the UE (i.e., fc(i)). If the field is present (n2), the UE maintains two power control states (i.e., fc(i,0) and fc(i,1)). If the field is absent, the UE maintains one power control state (i.e., fc(i,0)).

[0039] Aspects of the present disclosure are described in the context of a wireless communications system. Figure 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system 100 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communications system 100 may include one or more NE 102, one or more UE 104, and a core network (CN) 106. The wireless communications system 100 may support various radio Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCTaccess technologies. In some the wireless communications system 100 may be a 4G network, such as an LTE network or an LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network. In some other implementations, the wireless communications system 100 may be a NR network, such as a 5G network, a 5G-Advanced (5G-A) network, or a 5G ultrawideband (5G-UWB) network. In other implementations, the wireless communications system 100 may be a combination of a 4G network and a 5G network, or other suitable radio access technology including Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20. The wireless communications system 100 may support radio access technologies beyond 5G, for example, 6G. Additionally, the wireless communications system 100 may support technologies, such as time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), or code division multiple access (CDMA), etc.

[0040] The one or more NE 102 may be dispersed throughout a geographic region to form the wireless communications system 100. One or more of the NE 102 described herein may be or include or may be referred to as a network node, a base station, a network element, a network function, a network entity, a radio access network (RAN), a NodeB, an eNodeB (eNB), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), or other suitable terminology. An NE 102 and a UE 104 may communicate via a communication link 112, which may be a wireless or wired connection. For example, an NE 102 and a UE 104 may perform wireless communication (e.g., receive signaling, transmit signaling) over a Uu interface.

[0041] An NE 102 may provide a geographic coverage area for which the NE 102 may support services for one or more UEs 104 within the geographic coverage area. For example, an NE 102 and a UE 104 may support wireless communication of signals related to services (e.g., voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc.) according to one or multiple radio access technologies. In some implementations, an NE 102 may be moveable, for example, a satellite associated with a non-terrestrial network (NTN). In some implementations, different geographic coverage areas 112 associated with the same or different radio access technologies may overlap, but the different geographic coverage areas may be associated with different NE 102.

[0042] The one or more UE 104 may be dispersed throughout a geographic region of the wireless communications system 100. A UE 104 may include or may be referred to as a Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCTremote unit, a mobile device, a wireless a remote device, a subscriber device, a transmitter device, a receiver device, or some other suitable terminology. In some implementations, the UE 104 may be referred to as a unit, a station, a terminal, or a client, among other examples. Additionally, or alternatively, the UE 104 may be referred to as an Internet-of-Things (IoT) device, an Internet-of-Everything (IoE) device, or machine-type communication (MTC) device, among other examples.

[0043] A UE 104 may be able to support wireless communication directly with other UEs 104 over a communication link. For example, a UE 104 may support wireless communication directly with another UE 104 over a device-to-device (D2D) communication link. In some implementations, such as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) deployments, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) deployments, or cellular-V2X deployments, the communication link 114 may be referred to as a sidelink. For example, a UE 104 may support wireless communication directly with another UE 104 over a PC5 interface. According to one aspect, multiple UEs 104 can collaborate to provide a virtual UE (VUE) 120, with a first UE (e.g., UE1) operating as the primary or anchor UE. ^

[0044] An NE 102 may support communications with the CN 106, or with another NE 102, or both. For example, an NE 102 may interface with other NE 102 or the CN 106 through one or more backhaul links (e.g., S1, N2, N2, or network interface). In some implementations, the NE 102 may communicate with each other directly. In some other implementations, the NE 102 may communicate with each other or indirectly (e.g., via the CN 106. In some implementations, one or more NE 102 may include subcomponents, such as an access network entity, which may be an example of an access node controller (ANC). An ANC may communicate with the one or more UEs 104 through one or more other access network transmission entities, which may be referred to as a radio heads, smart radio heads, or transmission-reception points (TRPs).

[0045] The CN 106 may support user authentication, access authorization, tracking, connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The CN 106 may be an evolved packet core (EPC), or a 5G core (5GC), which may include a control plane entity that manages access and mobility (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME), an access and mobility management functions (AMF)) and a user plane entity that routes packets or interconnects to external networks (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW), a Packet Data Network Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCT(PDN) gateway (P-GW), or a user plane (UPF)). In some implementations, the control plane entity may manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions, such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management (e.g., data bearers, signal bearers, etc.) for the one or more UEs 104 served by the one or more NE 102 associated with the CN 106.

[0046] The CN 106 may communicate with a packet data network over one or more backhaul links (e.g., via an S1, N2, N2, or another network interface). The packet data network may include an application server. In some implementations, one or more UEs 104 may communicate with the application server. A UE 104 may establish a session (e.g., a protocol data unit (PDU) session, or the like) with the CN 106 via an NE 102. The CN 106 may route traffic (e.g., control information, data, and the like) between the UE 104 and the application server using the established session (e.g., the established PDU session). The PDU session may be an example of a logical connection between the UE 104 and the CN 106 (e.g., one or more network functions of the CN 106).

[0047] In the wireless communications system 100, the NEs 102 and the UEs 104 may use resources of the wireless communications system 100 (e.g., time resources (e.g., symbols, slots, subframes, frames, or the like) or frequency resources (e.g., subcarriers, carriers)) to perform various operations (e.g., wireless communications). In some implementations, the NEs 102 and the UEs 104 may support different resource structures. For example, the NEs 102 and the UEs 104 may support different frame structures. In some implementations, such as in 4G, the NEs 102 and the UEs 104 may support a single frame structure. In some other implementations, such as in 5G and among other suitable radio access technologies, the NEs 102 and the UEs 104 may support various frame structures (i.e., multiple frame structures). The NEs 102 and the UEs 104 may support various frame structures based on one or more numerologies.

[0048] One or more numerologies may be supported in the wireless communications system 100, and a numerology may include a subcarrier spacing and a cyclic prefix. A first numerology (e.g., #=0) may be associated with a first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. In some implementations, the first numerology (e.g., #=0) associated with the first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) may utilize one slot per subframe. A second numerology (e.g., #=1) may be associated with a second subcarrier spacing (e.g., 30 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. A third numerology (e.g., #=2) may be associated with a third Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCTsubcarrier spacing (e.g., 60 kHz) and a cyclic prefix or an extended cyclic prefix. A fourth numerology (e.g., #=3) may be associated with a fourth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 120 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. A fifth numerology (e.g., #=4) may be associated with a fifth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 240 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix.

[0049] A time interval of a resource (e.g., a communication resource) may be organized according to frames (also referred to as radio frames). Each frame may have a duration, for example, a 10 millisecond (ms) duration. In some implementations, each frame may include multiple subframes. For example, each frame may include 10 subframes, and each subframe may have a duration, for example, a 1 ms duration. In some implementations, each frame may have the same duration. In some implementations, each subframe of a frame may have the same duration.

[0050] Additionally or alternatively, a time interval of a resource (e.g., a communication resource) may be organized according to slots. For example, a subframe may include a number (e.g., quantity) of slots. The number of slots in each subframe may also depend on the one or more numerologies supported in the wireless communications system 100. For instance, the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth numerologies (i.e., #=0, #=1, #=2, #=3, #=4) associated with respective subcarrier spacings of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, 120 kHz, and 240 kHz may utilize a single slot per subframe, two slots per subframe, four slots per subframe, eight slots per subframe, and 16 slots per subframe, respectively.^Each slot may include a number (e.g., quantity) of symbols (e.g., OFDM symbols). In some implementations, the number (e.g., quantity) of slots for a subframe may depend on a numerology. For a normal cyclic prefix, a slot may include 14 symbols. For an extended cyclic prefix (e.g., applicable for 60 kHz subcarrier spacing), a slot may include 12 symbols. The relationship between the number of symbols per slot, the number of slots per subframe, and the number of slots per frame for a normal cyclic prefix and an extended cyclic prefix may depend on a numerology. It should be understood that reference to a first numerology(e.g., # =0) associated with a first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) may be usedinterchangeably between subframes and slots.

[0051] In the wireless communications system 100, an electromagnetic (EM) spectrum may be split, based on frequency or wavelength, into various classes, frequency bands, frequency channels, etc. By way of example, the wireless communications system 100 may support one Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCTor multiple operating frequency bands, frequency range designations FR1 (410 MHz – 7.125 GHz), FR2 (24.25 GHz – 52.6 GHz), FR3 (7.125 GHz – 24.25 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz – 114.25 GHz), FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz – 71 GHz), and FR5 (114.25 GHz – 300 GHz). In some implementations, the NEs 102 and the UEs 104 may perform wireless communications over one or more of the operating frequency bands. In some implementations, FR1 may be used by the NEs 102 and the UEs 104, among other equipment or devices for cellular communications traffic (e.g., control information, data). In some implementations, FR2 may be used by the NEs 102 and the UEs 104, among other equipment or devices for short-range, high data rate capabilities.

[0052] FR1 may be associated with one or multiple numerologies (e.g., at least three numerologies). For example, FR1 may be associated with a first numerology (e.g., #=0), which includes 15 kHz subcarrier spacing; a second numerology (e.g., #=1), which includes 30 kHz subcarrier spacing; and a third numerology (e.g., #=2), which includes 60 kHz subcarrier spacing. FR2 may be associated with one or multiple numerologies (e.g., at least 2 numerologies). For example, FR2 may be associated with a third numerology (e.g., #=2), which includes 60 kHz subcarrier spacing; and a fourth numerology (e.g., #=3), which includes 120 kHz subcarrier spacing.

[0053] Figure 2 illustrates an example virtual UE (VUE) that is formed by a set of three individual UEs 104a, 104b, 104c that cooperate with each other to enable the network device, serving base station / gNB 102, to view the collective of UEs as a single device, VUE 120, for scheduling communications, such as uplink transmissions. VUE 120 includes an anchor UE, UE1 104a, that acts as the primary UE, which connects the VUE 120 to the network, represented via network device, gNB 102. The individual UEs 104a, 104b, 104c can each have direct connection (112) to gNB 102. At least a subset of UEs 104a, 104b, 104c within VUE 120 communicate with each other via D2D links 114. In Figure 2, UE2104b and UE3 104c are each connected to UE1104a, which serves as the anchor UE, but UE2104b and UE3 104c are not directly connected with each other.

[0054] Figure 3 provides a second embodiment of VUE 120 that is formed by a set of interconnected devices, UEs 104a, 104b, 104c, 104d that can cooperate with each other to support VUE operations. Specifically, Figure 3 illustrates a first embodiment of a network- transparent VUE with interconnected nodes providing a collaborative VUE maximum output Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCTpower indicated via the anchor UE to the station, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In Figure 3, first UE (UE1) 104a serves as the anchor UE for VUE 120, which includes UE1104a, UE2104b, UE3104c, and UE4104d. Each of the set of UE1 104a, UE2104b, and UE3104c have a communication link with the network entity, which is referred to herein as gNB 102 and / or as serving base station 102 (i.e., serving the VUE 120). As shown, several of the UEs 104a, 104b, 104c, associated with VUE 120 have a direct communication link to gNB and can therefore communicate directly with gNB, independent of the VUE communication. UE4104d does not have a direct connection with gNB 102 and thus only directly supports / performs intra-VUE operations that does not involve direct data uplink with gNB 102. According to one aspect of the disclosure, VUE 120 communicates (via UE1104a) with a serving base station, gNB 102, to complete an uplink power control procedure, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0055] The present disclosure provides benefits that can be achieved from the above VUE architecture due to the availability of multiple uplink channels from the various intra-VUE devices within the VUE. As an example, in a virtual UE setup, multiple devices can collaborate to transmit data. Such collaboration can result in higher capability for uplink transmission for the VUE, which is considered by the serving base station as a single UE. The higher capability is provided due to aggregation of the individual uplink capabilities of the multiple devices, controlled by the anchor UE, UE1104a, when the VUE has a packet requiring transmission.

[0056] According to one aspect of the disclosure, at a given time instance, data communication (e.g., for control and configuration messages) with the VUE can be completed between the anchor UE, UE1104a and gNB 102, and some of the intra-VUE devices, UE2104b and UE3104c, can assist such communication via D2D links 114 and assist with data uplink operations via direct uplinks 112 with gNB 102. The intra-VUE devices are interconnected via device-to-device (D2D) communication links. It is appreciated that the term ‘D2D’ is a general term, and can include various technologies such as sidelink, wifi, etc. for communicating between intra-VUE nodes. An assumption is also made that the D2D links are fast and reliable, particularly with the UEs being in close communication proximity to each other, and consequently, the intra-VUE communications Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCTdo not incur much burden on the overall output power (e.g., if a 3GPP-based scheme is used for D2D communication).

[0057] Various aspects of the disclosure are directed to UL power control aspects of an UL data transmission from a VUE. As one condition with implementing the VUE features of the disclosure, the UEs are programmed that once a virtual UE is formed, the established anchor UE sends a message from the VUE to a gNB indicating that the virtual UE is formed. The VUE notification message can be transmitted by a random access channel (RACH) indicating a VUE-ID. The gNB sends a VUE capability inquiry to the VUE and receives corresponding capabilities that are applicable to the VUE. In one embodiment, the VUE can use assistance information to update the gNB regarding some capabilities or situations such as, for example, a change in the VUE power class. According to the disclosure, maintaining a power control state and tracking a closed-loop power control process refer to the same operation.

[0058] Referring again to Figure 3, each UE 104a, 104b, 104c, 104d within VUE 120 has an associated power class, which defines the maximum amount of output power the individual UE can provide, which can be a pre-configured rating of the maximum output power of the UE. As shown, UE1104a has associated maximum output power or power class (PC)1, UE2 104b has associated PC2, UE3104c has associated PC3, and UE4104d has associated PC4. VUE 120 presents a power class rating, VUE-PC, that is a combination of the power classes of the UEs that are able to participate in an uplink transmission of data to gNB 102 via respective uplinks 112. As shown, only UE1104a, UE2104b, and UE3104c have a direct communication channel for uplink with gNB 102. Thus VUE (i.e., UE1104a as the anchor UE) combines the power classes for these three UEs to generate the VUE power class (VUE- PC) that is provided to gNB 102.

[0059] The following description provides UL power control based on a transparent structure of the VUE 120, from the viewpoint of the gNB 102. That is, the network (gNB 102) is unaware of the internal structure of the VUE 120 or at least is unaware of the current internal structure of the VUE 120. For example, gNB 102 may construct a map of which UEs belong to a VUE based on history of transmissions by various UEs, where the UEs indicate their transmissions are associated with a VUE ID (e.g., via a PUSCH scrambling ID). However, some of the UEs may have recently exited or some additional UEs may have entered the VUE configuration. Alternatively, some of the active UEs may transition to an idle mode or Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCTbe involved in another data the gNB 102 may not have an updated map of the available UEs within the VUE 120 and the VUE 120 is thus transparent to gNB 102.

[0060] One aspect of the disclosure involves configuring the VUE to perform capability reporting of a VUE power class, V-PC or PCMAX. The VUE is allowed to set its configured maximum output power PCMAX,f,c for carrier f of serving cell c in each slot. The configured maximum output power PCMAX,f,cis set within lower and upper bounds, wherein the bounds depend on a power class parameter reported in VUE capability signaling to gNB.

[0061] In one embodiment, the VUE 120 reports a power class (V-PC) and / or ‘PCMAX,f,c’ for carrier f of serving cell c that is applicable to virtual UEs, and not individual UEs. The VUE determines the V-PC and / or PCMAX,f,cfor carrier f of serving cell c based on one or more of the following: (i) the number of intra-VUE nodes or a set of intra-VUE nodes which can collaborate in an UL transmission within a slot, where the number can be fixed (e.g., 2) or indicated by the VUE; (ii) a set of power classes and / or ‘PCMAX,f,c’ values for carrier f of serving cell c for the intra-VUE UEs. For example, the set of power classes and / or ‘PCMAX,f,c’ values corresponding to the set of intra-VUE nodes. In one example embodiment, the VUE computes a sum of linear power classes of the cooperating nodes according to Exy|H^brst ) ^^` uvw,- MK, ^^z{wherenode. (iii)a size of the VUE. For example, the largest inter-node distance amongst the nodes of VUE; and (iv) the number of intra-VUE nodes within a predefined / configured radius / range, such as within a 1-foot radius with respect to a reference center (e.g., projection of center of body on the ground). This determination is made to avoid use of too much D2D power (subject to SL power limitation instead of distance), and the controller of the anchor UE should detect the intra-node distance.

[0062] In one or more embodiments, an upper and / or a lower tolerance may be defined for a UE power class. In that scenario, for a VUE, a lower tolerance might be determined based on a sum of linear lower tolerances, and an upper tolerance might be determined based on a Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCTsum of linear upper tolerances. the lower / upper tolerance may be capped by a value.

[0063] Additionally, techniques involving distance measurements may require accurate positioning which could be possible via ultra-wide band (UWB) technologies. An alternative method could be to enforce a small VUE size by limiting transmission power for intra-VUE communication. For instance, the VUE configuration could specify that SL-based transmissions should not have a power level more than ‘x’ dB, where ‘x’ is selected small enough to ensure a small transmission range (or VUE size). Once a VUE is formed (or when a UE intends to advertise for a virtual group formation to form the VUE), the gNB may indicate ‘x’, which might lead to some UEs (e.g., UEs with large distance with respect to a VUE controller node, i.e., anchor UE, or UEs at the edge of VUE) leaving the VUE or not being able to join the VUE. The UEs cooperating within the VUE can also be referred to herein as nodes or intra-VUE nodes.

[0064] In one embodiment, a UE of the VUE (i.e., the anchor UE, which is an intra-VUE node) reports a power class and indicates a VUE-ID that the power class is applicable to. The power class of the VUE is referred to herein as V-PC. The anchor UE can also report its own power class which is less / different than the V-PC.

[0065] If the VUE is instructed to transmit an UL transmission with a transmission power that is higher than the linear sum of transmission power of cooperating nodes for the UL transmission, the VUE transmits the UL transmission with the transmission power that is allowed by the cooperating nodes, and the UE can determine and report a power back-off value (difference between the instructed UL transmission power and the feasible transmission power) in a report (e.g., a PHR report) or via a UE assistance information signaling. The UE assistance signaling could be a new signaling, indicating a maximum feasible transmission power or the power-backoff. In one or more embodiments, a timer can be associated with the UE assistance information indicating a duration of time during which the VUE is expected to have the different maximum transmission power. A timer value can be set to infinity, indicating the maximum power is changed until further notice. In one or more embodiments, the UE can use RRC signaling or MAC-CE signaling to indicate such UE assistance information. Further, existing UE assistance signaling (or essentially an indirect way of maximum power reduction) can be reused. As an example, the overheating UE assistance Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCTinformation can be used to implicitly gNB reduce the transmission power (e.g., by preferring lower multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) layers, or number of channel charting (CCs), or disabling secondary cell group (SCG)).

[0066] An example of V-PC processing is now described. With ongoing reference to the VUE architecture / configuration of Figure 3, Figure 4 provides an example communication timing diagram presenting intra-VUE node communication for VUE power class determination and VUE-to-base station communication for scheduling uplink communication from the contributing UEs, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. It is appreciated that the sequence of times, indicated as T0, T1, …T6, are presented for illustration of one possible sequence and not intended to limit or restrict the relative timing of completion of the intra-VUE communications relative to the gNB communications. For example, in one alternate embodiment, the intra-VUE processes indicated at time T1 can be initiated and completed after receipt of an initial PDCCH command from gNB. Also, the diagram is not intended to be all-inclusive of every aspect of the processes described herein. Rather the diagram presents only a summary of several key aspects of the processes performed, and it is appreciated that additional processes can be provided that are not specifically presented by the example figure.

[0067] In the example, at time T0, UE1104a, a first internal node of VUE 120 has UL data to transmit to the network. The VUE 120, is controlled by anchor UE, UE1104a, and control operations of VUE 120 are performed by UE1 104a, but generally described as VUE processing. It is appreciated that some / certain operations of VUE can be performed by other UEs within VUE other than the anchor UE, UE1104a. At time T1, VUE 120 determines which intra-VUE nodes (also referred to as AN-Set (assisting nodes set)) can assist UE1104a in data transmission for VUE 120. At time T3, VUE 120 allocates a portion of data (or the whole data / PDU-set / PDU) to each node of AN-Set. VUE 120 sends a grant-related control information (GR-CI) to the AN-Set. At time T4, VUE receives a grant conveyed via a PDCCH command from the network (gNB), scheduling an UL PUSCH transmission. Each node of the AN-Set determines its transmission power based on at least two of the following: (i) the grant; (ii) the GR-CI; and (iii) the reported / determined V-PC or V-PCMAX. At time T5, the nodes of the AN-Set (potentially including UE1) transmit the UL PUSCH transmission based on the set of determined transmission powers. Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCT

[0068] According to one or more a cooperative transmission scheme is provided. The disclosure provides several ways to cooperatively transmit a packet to the network, including: (i) Virtualized transmission in which cooperating nodes all transmit the same data to the network; and (ii) A data-split technique according to one of frequency division multiplexing (FDM) or Time division multiplexing (TDM). With FDM, cooperating nodes perform FDM of allocated / to-be allocated RBs for transmitting separate parts of data. With TDM, the cooperating nodes perform TDM of allocated / to-be allocated symbols for transmitting separate parts of data. The channel estimation accuracy may change from one scheme to another.

[0069] With the data-split techniques, splitting data amongst cooperating nodes may reduce intra-VUE communication, since the UEs do not need to communicate the whole packet to the cooperating nodes. The unit of data split among intra-VUE nodes can be in unit of code block if data sharing amongst intra-VUE nodes occurs after reception of the scheduling grant; Otherwise, uncoded data should be shared.

[0070] With the TDM scheme, an additional number of demodulation reference signal (DMRS) symbols may be needed. The VUE may use capability signaling or UE assistance signaling to indicate or request enough DMRS symbols for the TDM approach to work. The VUE may indicate (e.g., in UE assistance signaling) a preferred distance between the DMRS symbols within a slot or a DMRS pattern within a slot. The preferred distance could be determined based on the number of TDM splits. The DMRS pattern or transmissions associated with a virtual UE can be different than what is possible for transmissions associated with an individual UE. This difference can be due to having potentially higher transmission power for VUE that is not possible with individual UEs. According to one aspect, if the network does not configure the VUE with the requested DMRS pattern or does not configure the VUE with TDM mode, the VUE uses virtualized transmission mode.

[0071] With the FDM Scheme, a per PRG (precoding resource group) channel estimation can be used. However, if different intra-VUE devices have different power class / transmission power, the received power across PRGs can be different for data associated with a packet. To enable almost similar received power across PRGs (e.g., to facilitate gNB decoding of a Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCTlarge transport block (TB) with sub-TBs from different nodes), only nodes with similar power class can cooperate in an FDM transmission. If the VUE has been configured for FDM-based transmission, but cannot find cooperating nodes with similar power class, the VUE can fallback to virtualized transmission. Thus, the VUE is configured to be able to switch between virtualized and FDM-based transmission deliberately.

[0072] In some examples, the variation in the transmit power between the transmissions of the various intra-VUE nodes within the VUE or nodes of the AN-Set is expected to be within a dynamic range. In some examples, the power may correspond to the power per RB (Resource Block), power per RBG (RB Group), or RE power, and the power dynamic range may be the difference between the power of an RE / RB / RBG and the average RE / RB / RBG power for the VUE transmission. In some examples, the dynamic range (-x dB to +y dB, x may be described as “down”, y may be described as “up”) may be based on the physical channel used for the UL transmission (e.g., PUSCH, PUCCH, SRS, RACH). In some examples, the dynamic range may be based on the modulation order used for the UL transmission (e.g., QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM, 256-QAM, 1024-QAM).

[0073] Figure 5 illustrates a non-network-transparent VUE utilizing FDM transmission scheme for uplink transmission where each UE having similar maximum power spectral density for a reference bandwidth of the time-frequency resource, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. With this scheme, The VUE can indicate the capability of FDM (e.g., with PRG-based channel estimation) and / or TDM with additional DMRS to the network. The network (i.e., gNB) may configure the VUE for virtualized transmission or FDM or TDM, based on capability indication and network choice and implementation (e.g., type of decoding).

[0074] According to one embodiment, the processor of UE1104a configures the UE 104a to report one of a first power class for a first transmission scheme corresponding to transmission of the data payload on a same set of time-frequency resources by the user equipment and each of the at least one second user equipment and a second power class for a second transmission scheme that is frequency division multiplexing (FDM). With the FDM transmission scheme, the user equipment and each of the at least one second user equipment transmits on a different set of time-frequency resources for an FDM uplink transmission and each user equipment has a similar maximum power spectral density for a reference Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCTbandwidth of the time-frequency resource. process includes transmission per precoder resource group (PRG) when channel estimation is performed per PRG at the base station.

[0075] Within continued reference to communication timing diagram of Figure 4, upon arrival of UL data in UE1’s buffer, UE1104a sends an indication to the other UEs, UE2104b and UE3104c, collectively second UEs 410, of the VUE 120. The indication is transmitted over D2D links and indicates the amount of data and / or a time-duration that UE1104a needs cooperation from the other nodes. For example, UE1104a broadcasts a message to the intra- VUE nodes, UE2104b and UE3104c that UE1104a has a 0.5 Mbit packet that needs to be transmitted in one slot.

[0076] The intra-VUE nodes that can participate in the UL transmission indicate their commitment (e.g., by sending their IDs (such as intra-VUE ID)) to the VUE (or UE1104a) and are added to the AN-Set for the VUE (comprised of UE1104a, UE2104b, and UE3 104c). As shown at time T1, each of the second UEs 410 within the AN-Set provides its local maximum output power value to anchor UE1104a. In one embodiment, UE1104a sums these values along with the local maximum output power of UE1104a to generate a total maximum output power of the VUE 120 or VUE power class (V-PC). In the illustration, both UE2104b and UE3104c provide a commitment to participate in the UL transmission. The nodes within the AN-Set which have committed to VUE to assist UE1 104a in UL transmission for a known time duration (e.g., one slot) are not expected or allowed to transmit any other data in the time the respective node is supposed to assist UE1104a. Also, each second UE 410 that has committed to be in the set of cooperating nodes for a transmission of data for a given duration of time is not expected to transition to idle mode or not expected to leave the VUE group during the given time.

[0077] At time T2, UE1104a sends an indication of the VUE power class (along with the VUE ID) to the serving base station, gNB 102. The indication from VUE 120 confirms to gNB 102 which nodes are going to assist UE1104a in the uplink communication. In one embodiment, UE1104a confirms the commitment of these second UEs in addition to UE1 104a by transmitting the respective device / node IDs with the indication. In one example, a maximum number of cooperating nodes can be specified (e.g., 2) and configured or reported as the VUE capability. It is appreciated that such a limit could potentially reduce the time Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCTneeded for signaling exchange required (e.g., for sharing the UL data to be transmitted), as well as increase the coordination signaling overhead.

[0078] At time T4, gNB 102 generates and transmits to VUE 120 an uplink DCI with PDCCH command, based on the received indication of VUE power class. Following confirmation of the nodes, the AN-set of internal nodes of the VUE 120 receives the PDCCH command. The PDCCH command comprises power control-related indications, such as an SRI value ‘i’. As an example, when the gNB 102 knows the structure of the VUE 120, the PDCCH command contains a vector of SRI values, one for each node of the VUE 120. Based on the SRI, the VUE can determine the associated PL vector estimate, closed-loop power process, and beams for each cooperating node of the VUE, e.g., based on a mapping. In one embodiment, there is a mapping between SRI & (j, qd, l) for different intra-VUE nodes. Each intra-VUE node determines its corresponding (j, qd, l) based on the received SRI. The mapping is reported by the VUE 120 to the network (gNB 102).

[0079] According to one or more embodiments, grant-related control information (GR-CI) is sent by the VUE prior to the reception of the grant. The GR-CI includes an indication of to which node of the AN-Set a to-be-received TPC command is applicable. In a first embodiment, the GR-CI indicates to which node of the AN-Set a to-be-received TPC command is applicable, if the TPC command includes a positive value. In a second embodiment, the GR-CI indicates to which node of the AN-Set, a to-be-received TPC command is applicable, if the TPC command includes a negative value. In a third embodiment, in the scenario where there are more than one closed loop power control loop, the GR-CI indicates indications in the first and second embodiments per PUSCH power control adjustment state ^ (closed loop power control index).

[0080] According to one aspect, in the scenario where GR-CI is sent after the grant is received (i.e., the corresponding PDCCH is decoded), the GR-CI includes an indication of which node of the AN-Set the TPC command is applicable to. Specifically, in one embodiment, the GR-CI indicates to which node of the AN-Set the TPC command is applicable if the TPC command includes a positive value. In another embodiment, the GR- CI indicates to which node of the AN-Set the TPC command is applicable, if the TPC command includes a negative value. Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCT

[0081] In one or more embodiments, if accumulation is applied (e.g., when tpc- accumulation is not provided), each node of the AN-Set determines which TPC commands out of the ones received during the window determined by the VUE for applicability of TPC commands (such as set LMof TPC command values) are applicable to that UE based on prior GR-CI indications.

[0082] Referring to Figure 4, at time T3, UE1 104a distributes the packet to be transmitted internally among the available UEs in the AN-set according to the DCI. It is appreciated that the distribution can be a sharing of only portions of the packet (data payload) or alternatively can include providing copies of the entire packet for upload by multiple of the collaborating UEs in the AN-set. At time T5, the intra-VUE nodes of AN-Set transmit their respective portions of the packet via respective uplink channels to gNB.

[0083] In one or more embodiments, if the total transmission power of the intra-VUE nodes in a slot is larger than V-PC / PCMAX, the VUE (UE1104a) determines which intra-VUE nodes are to be muted or to reduce power and by how much and communicate the information to the cooperating nodes. The VUE can re-calculate to which node the TPC command is applicable based on such update and communicate the update also to the node(s).

[0084] In accordance with above-presented aspects of the disclosure, a serving base station (gNB) for wireless communication includes at least one processor configured to cause the serving base station to: receive, via the transceiver, an indication from a first user equipment, the indication comprising a maximum output power supported by a virtual UE (VUE) having the first user equipment configured as an anchor UE with at least one second UE communicatively connected to the anchor UE; schedule an uplink transmission of a data payload for the virtual UE based on the received maximum output power; receive the uplink transmission as multiple transmissions from a plurality of different UEs that have separate uplinks with the base station and collaboratively provide a virtual UE with the maximum output power; and determine the data payload based on the received uplink transmission from the virtual UE. ^

[0085] In accordance with additional aspects of the disclosure, a UE for wireless communication includes at least one processor configured to cause the user equipment to: configure a virtual UE (VUE) comprising the user equipment and at least one second user equipment, the virtual UE for combining output power capabilities of a group of UEs for Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCTupload of data payload to a serving base determine a maximum output power and a power class of the VUE utilizing a combination of a local output power capability of the user equipment and second local output power capability of each of the at least one second user equipment that is communicatively connected with the user equipment to form the VUE and has uplink connectivity with the serving base station; forward to the serving base station, via the transceiver, an indication of the maximum output power of the VUE; and transmit the data payload via an uplink transmission to the serving base station, according to the indicated maximum output power of the VUE.^

[0086] Referring now to Figure 6, there is illustrated an embodiment of the VUE of Figure 3 with one second UE, UE2104b (among AN-set of second UEs 404), no longer available for VUE uplink communication, which reduces the VUE maximum output power (or power class), in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. UE2104b can be no longer available for several reasons, including UE2 104b participating in a non-VUE communication, UE2104b disengaging from (no longer associated with / cooperating within VUE), etc. The dashed lines of communication link 112B of Figure 6 are thus representative of the UE2 104b no longer being available as one of the UEs available to provide VUE communication uplink to gNB 102. The local maximum output power of UE2 104b is therefore no longer available for inclusion in the calculation of total maximum output power of VUE 120 (or V-PC).

[0087] Figure 7 illustrates a second communication timing diagram presenting intra-VUE communication for VUE power class determination based on the changed to VUE architecture in Figure 6 and corresponding VUE-to-base station communication of updated / reduced VUE maximum output power, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Similar to Figure 4, the timing sequence is for the particular example implementation and does not imply any limitations on the exact methodology implemented within the intra-VUE and VUE-to-gNB communication exchanges. The timing sequence is assumed to follow that of Figure 4 after the VUE has reported an initial power class that includes both UE2104b and UE3104c participating in the uplink of the data payload. Thus, VUE 120 is now non-network transparent.

[0088] At or before time T7, UE1104a determines that UE2104b is no longer cooperating within the VUE for a specific duration of time, but UE3104c is still participating within VUE Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCT(e.g., UE3 reports its local maximum to UE1). At time T7, UE1 computes an updated total maximum output power (or power class) for VUE 120, which is less than the original total maximum output power. At time T8, gNB may generate a DCI based on the previously provided V-PC and transmits the DCI to VUE 120. Assuming the unavailability of UE2 104b is temporary, VUE 120 (UE1) can choose to ignore the received DCI and subsequently received DCIs, pending return of the UE2104b into the AN-Set of the VUE 120.

[0089] At time T9, VUE (UE1) transmits an indication of the updated total maximum output power to gNB. The indication may include a back-off power value, in one embodiment. In response to receiving the updated total maximum output power for the VUE, at time T10, gNB may generate a DCI that takes the updated total maximum power into consideration and forwards the DCI to VUE 120. VUE 120 distributes the data packet with UE3104c at time T11 and performs the uplink with the participating nodes at time T12, based on the updated power class. At time T13, UE2104b comes back online and / or reconnects with VUE, and reactivates uplink access to gNB, resulting in VUE regaining is combined maximum output power. At time T14, VUE optionally presents an indication to gNB 102 of VUE’s return to the originally reported V-PC. Alternatively, in one embodiment, gNB may track the time duration provided in the indication at time T9 and automatically update the stored power class of VUE after expiration of the time duration transmitted with the indication at time T9. VUE 120 distributes the packet among the full complement of available UEs at time T15, and, at time T16, the UEs within AN-set of the VUE collaborate to transmit the packet via their respective communication uplink channels with gNB 102. The gNB 102 then performs packet determination at time T17. Non-transparent VUE Implementation

[0090] As introduced above, one aspect of the disclosure involves performing UL power control based on a non-transparent VUE structure. This implementation includes an assumption that the network is aware of the current internal structure of the VUE. For example, once a VUE is formed, the VUE indicates to the network a set of UE-IDs for the internal nodes of the VUE. If a node joins or leaves the VUE, the VUE informs the network of such change to the internal nodes. A benefit of this non-transparent VUE structure is that Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCTthe VUE could form multiple beams in different directions simultaneously using different internal nodes. Thus, similar to multi-panel operations, many operations can be handled by the VUE by treating each cooperating UE as a panel. As an example, the VUE may receive a DCI command for an uplink transmission, where the DCI command comprises multiple commands, each applicable to a different UE within the VUE. For instance, an SRI is indicated per intra-VUE node (or per collaborating node).

[0091] In one embodiment, if the structure of the VUE changes, the VUE indicates the change to the network, and if in the meanwhile (e.g., during a window defined by the time the change is detected by the VUE to a time instance that is a certain time after the VUE indication of the change to the network) the network sends a DCI scheduling a transmission, that DCI is ignored by the VUE as not valid.

[0092] Alternatively, in another embodiment, the DCI is only applied to available UEs. For example, if the original rank supported by the VUE is three (3), and only two UEs are now available, one UE can transmit with rank 1 and the other UE with rank 2. As another example, if the indicated rank is 6, and only two UEs with maximum rank 2 are available, then the transmission rank would be reduced to 4 (i.e., each UE would transmit with rank 2).

[0093] According to one or more embodiments, the VUE indicates (e.g., via MAC-CE) to the gNB that the structure of VUE has changed (e.g., change in maximum rank / transmission power, etc). This indication is provided particularly if the change is expected to be temporary (e.g., a UE has transitioned to idle mode or engaged in a data transmission not related to the VUE). For example, the VUE can indicate for how long such change is expected before transitioning back to the previous configuration known to the gNB. Such indication could help the gNB to update rescheduling policy. Aspects of this approach can be applicable to frequency range 1 (FR1) or when the same tci states are indicated for different UEs of the VUE (e.g., in case of frequency range 2 (FR2)).

[0094] In one embodiment, the VUE indicates in a BSR to the network which intra-VUE nodes are to cooperate for the UL transmission associated with the BSR. The indicated nodes are used for cooperation of data transmission (from the first grant received after sufficient time from the BSR transmission) until the next BSR report is sent or for an indicated / pre- determined / configured amount of time. A change in the cooperating nodes triggers a BSR. Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCTClosed Loop UL Power Control

[0095] One additional aspect of the disclosure includes the VUE implementing processes for tracking closed-loop UL power control. Currently, a UE can be configured with up to two closed-loop UL power control loops. With a VUE, closed-loop UL power control loops associated with VUE UL transmissions should be tracked by some of the internal UEs of the VUE. In one embodiment, a UE that is capable of tracking (i.e., configured with) two closed- loop UL power control loops (e.g., twoPUSCH-PC-AdjustmentStates) indicates to the network that the UE would like to use either: (i) one loop for VUE (with VUE-ID) and one loop for its non-VUE communications; or (ii) two loops for VUE (with VUE-ID) for a duration of time (indicated by the UE, and configured by the network for the VUE). In the latter scenario, the UE also indicates that the UE would not track any UL power control loops for its non-VUE communications during that duration of time.

[0096] As one related embodiment, a UE is not expected to track more than a certain number (e.g., 1) of closed-loop UL power control loops for a VUE. For example, if a VUE needs to track two closed-loop UL power control loops, a first UE of the VUE (e.g., UE1104a) tracks a first loop, and a second UE of the VUE (e.g., UE2104b) tracks a second loop.

[0097] In another embodiment, a VUE might have a higher capability in terms of number of closed-loop UL power control loops, and the VUE indicates such capability to the network after the number of intra-VUE nodes indicate or confirm that they can track those loops. For example, if 3 nodes indicate they can track one (1) loop each for the VUE, then VUE indicates a capability / UE assistance message to the network that the VUE can track 3 loops. Figure 8 presents such an example scenario.

[0098] Figure 8 illustrates a VUE 120 comprising multiple cooperating UEs 104a-104c, each presenting / assigning one of two available trackable closed-loop power control processes for VUE tracking of transmit power control (TCP) commands, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. As shown, the three intra-VUE nodes, UEs 104a-104c, that have an uplink to gNB contribute one of the two available loops to VUE-related tracking of TCP. VUE (e.g., via UE1) thus reports availability of three trackable closed-loop power control processes to gNB. UE4104d does not currently have an uplink to gNB 102 and as such does not contribute to the number of available loops for VUE-related tracking of TCP. The Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCTindication of the loops (l) within each UE a first number depicting the total and a second number indicating how many of the total number are allocated to VUE-tracking.

[0099] Figure 9 illustrates the VUE of Figure 8 having one second UE (UE2 104b) temporarily unavailable to provide tracking of closed-loop power control process of TCP commands for the VUE 120, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. As shown, communication link 112B is broken or not currently available for UE2104b to connect with gNB 102. Figure 10 illustrates a communication timing diagram presenting intra-VUE and VUE-to-base station communication for indicating a number of available closed-loop power control processes for VUE tracking of TCP commands, with a subsequent change in availability by at least one second UE for VUE-tracking of TCP, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. At time T0, each node within the VUE reports the number of trackable loops available for use by the VUE. VUE 120 (i.e., anchor UE1104a) sums the number of loops indicated by the intra-VUE nodes, and at time T1, transmits an indication to gNB 102 of the number of loops and which nodes are available to gNB. In the illustration of Figure 9, each available node indicates one (1) loop, such that VUE 120 provides an indication of three (3) loops to gNB 102. VUE 120 determines and reports how many closed- loop power control processes (‘l’) can be tracked or power control adjustment states the VUE can have. According to one embodiment, the set of intra-VUE nodes can each track at least a loop / power control adjustment state. Each node may also track a loop for non-VUE related communications.

[0100] According to one embodiment, gNB may consider the cooperative nodes (UEs) in VUE 120 similar to panels, and gNB may indicate transmission per panel (UE). However, on occasion, one or more of the nodes may not be available. For example, a node may be transmitting other type of data or belong to multiple VUEs, etc.

[0101] At time T2, gNB 102 transmits a DCI to VUE 120. Each node, based on SRI in DCI, determines PL,P0, but ignores CL-Power, and gets the CL-Power based on VUE internal determination. At time T3, VUE detects or determines a change in the set of nodes tracking the TPC commands. With the specific example, UE2 tracking become unavailable because the communication link to gNB 102 is not available. At time T4, VUE presents an indication to gNB 102 of the change in the available tracking. The indication includes an expected time to return to the previous set of devices and the affected indices of PUSCH power control Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCTadjustment states. At time T5, gNB 102 a DCI with PUSCH that is adjusted to exclude the affected indices and intra-VUE nodes that are still available. Thus, according to one aspect, during the time that the UE2104b is indicated to not be available within VUE 120, the VUE does not received a DCI scheduling an uplink transmission with a PUSCH power control adjustment state index that is among the affected indices.

[0102] One embodiment of the disclosure provides for open-loop power indication in DCI. According to this embodiment, a DCI can indicate an open loop power parameter ‘Po’. The VUE can split this power amount across multiple UEs, or can just assign the entire power amount to one UE, such as the UE that has sent the BSR or to an anchor UE.

[0103] Embodiments are provided for TPC applicability determination. In one embodiment, if a VUE transmits a PUSCH on active UL BWP ^^of carrier ^^of serving cell ^^using parameter set configuration with index ^^and PUSCH power control adjustment state with index ^, and the VUE PUSCH transmission comprises a first PUSCH transmission by a 1stUE of the VUE, and a second PUSCH transmission by a 2ndUE of the VUE, the VUE determines the respective PUSCH transmission powers ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^ / ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^for the first PUSCH and the secondtransmissionfollows: ^^^ Step 1: upon reception of a DCI scheduling the VUE-PUSCH transmission, at least the 2ndUE calculates a power head room (PHR) assuming the TPC command is applied; ^^^^ Step 2: if the calculated PHR is within a bound between a lower bound and an upper bound, the 2ndUE sends a PHR (containing the calculated PHR) to the VUE controller (i.e., 1stUE, which is the anchor UE). The following presents an example: lower bound: 0; upper bound: ‘PCMAX,f,c’-Px; wherein (a) Px: minimum power for active UL BWP ^^of carrier ^^of serving cell ^` (b) The PHR is calculated assuming specific UE parameters and not- VUE parameters; ` Step 3: the VUE (or the 1stUE) determines if the 2ndUE can apply the TPC command and informs the 2ndUE via an indication ‘I1’; and Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCTStep4: the 2ndUE, based on the ‘I1’, determines whether to apply the TPC command.

[0104] When the VUE receives a TPC command, the VUE triggers the intra-VUE nodes with uplink connection to gNB to send PHR to the VUE controller. The PHR is computed by the node assuming that the TPC is applicable to the node. The VUE determines that the TPC command is applicable to each node based on the received TPC command and the PHRs sent by nodes.

[0105] In a related embodiment, the VUE determines and indicates to the 2ndUE how much of the TPC command is applicable to the 2ndUE. The 1stUE may apply more than the received TPC command based on instruction / determination from VUE or based on the 1stUE’s determination.

[0106] In another related embodiment, the node which has data or is the primary node in transmission of UL data applies the TPC command. The primary node is identified according to a criterion to define the ‘primary node’ such as being a main UE (e.g., UE1104a) in the VUE or an anchor-UE, or based on a configuration, e.g., within VUE nodes. In an implementation, if a UE determines to not apply the current TPC command in accumulation due to reaching a bound for that UE, then, although the VUE has instructed the UE to perform the accumulation, the UE should indicate to the VUE, so that the VUE can apply the TPC command to another node (UE), if there is sufficient time.

[0107] In accordance with the above-presented aspects of the disclosure, a UE for wireless communication includes at least one processor configured to cause the UE to: communicatively connect to and collaborate with at least one second UE to enable a virtual UE (VUE), each UE within the VUE having at least one closed-loop uplink power control loop, and at least a first loop among the at least one closed-loop uplink power control loop of each UE assigned to be utilized for VUE communications; determine a number of trackable closed-loop uplink power control loops for the VUE communication as a sum of the number of first loops of each UE within the VUE; and forward, via the transceiver to a serving base station of the VUE, an indication of the total number of trackable closed-loop uplink power control loops for the VUE communications.

[0108] In accordance with the above-presented aspects of the disclosure, a serving base station (gNB) for wireless communication includes at least one processor configured to cause Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCTthe serving base station to: receive, via an indication from a first user (UE) equipment, the indication indicating the first UE is an anchor UE for a virtual UE (VUE) having the first UE configured as the anchor UE with at least one second UE communicatively connected to the anchor UE to collaborate as the VUE; receive a capability reporting signaling from the VUE; determine, from the capability reporting signaling, a number of physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) power control indices the VUE is able to track; generate a mapping between an SRI value and a PUSCH power control adjustment state index, and a pathloss estimate; and transmit a downlink control information (DCI) that comprises an SRI value and that schedules an UL transmission with a TPC command associated to a PUSCH power control adjustment state index that is derived from the SRI value.

[0109] Figure 11 illustrates an example of a UE 1100 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. UE 1100 is assumed to be the same as UE 104 and, in particular anchor UE 104a, referenced throughout the description. The UE 1100 may include a processor 1102, a memory 1104, a controller 1106, and a transceiver 1108. The processor 1102, the memory 1104, the controller 1106, or the transceiver 1108, or various combinations thereof or various components thereof may be examples of means for performing various aspects of the present disclosure as described herein. These components may be coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more interfaces.

[0110] The processor 1102, the memory 1104, the controller 1106, or the transceiver 1108, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., circuitry). The hardware may include a processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or other programmable logic device, or any combination thereof configured as or otherwise supporting a means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure.

[0111] The processor 1102 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general- purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, an ASIC, an FPGA, or any combination thereof). In some implementations, the processor 1102 may be configured to operate the memory 1104. In some other implementations, the memory 1104 may be integrated into the processor 1102. The processor 1102 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in the memory 1104 to cause the UE 1100 to perform various functions of the present disclosure. Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCT

[0112] The memory 1104 may include or non-volatile memory. The memory 1104 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code including instructions when executed by the processor 1102 cause the UE 1100 to perform various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such the memory 1104 or another type of memory. Computer-readable media includes both non- transitory computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A non-transitory storage medium may be any available medium that may be accessed by a general-purpose or special- purpose computer.

[0113] In some implementations, the processor 1102 and the memory 1104 coupled with the processor 1102 may be configured to cause the UE 1100 to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., executing, by the processor 1102, instructions stored in the memory 1104). For example, the processor 1102 may support wireless communication at the UE 1100 in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The UE 1100 may be configured to support a means for configuring, by a processor of the user equipment, a virtual UE (VUE) comprising the user equipment and at least one second user equipment, the VUE for combining output power capabilities of a group of UEs for upload of data payload to a serving base station; determining a maximum output power and a power class of the VUE utilizing a combination of a local output power capability of the user equipment and second output power capability of each of the one or more of the at least one second user equipment that is communicatively connected with the user equipment to form the VUE and has uplink connectivity with the serving base station; forwarding, to the serving base station, an indication of the maximum output power of the VUE; and transmitting the data payload via an uplink transmission to the serving base station, according to the indicated maximum output power of the VUE.

[0114] The controller 1106 may manage input and output signals for the UE 1100. The controller 1106 may also manage peripherals not integrated into the UE 1100. In some implementations, the controller 1106 may utilize an operating system such as iOS®, ANDROID®, WINDOWS®, or other operating systems. In some implementations, the controller 1106 may be implemented as part of the processor 1102. Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCT

[0115] In some implementations, the UE may include at least one transceiver 1108. In some other implementations, the UE 1100 may have more than one transceiver 1108. The transceiver 1108 may represent a wireless transceiver. The transceiver 1108 may include one or more receiver chains 1110, one or more transmitter chains 1112, or a combination thereof.

[0116] A receiver chain 1110 may be configured to receive signals (e.g., control information, data, packets) over a wireless medium. For example, the receiver chain 1110 may include one or more antennas for receive the signal over the air or wireless medium. The receiver chain 1110 may include at least one amplifier (e.g., a low-noise amplifier (LNA)) configured to amplify the received signal. The receiver chain 1110 may include at least one demodulator configured to demodulate the receive signal and obtain the transmitted data by reversing the modulation technique applied during transmission of the signal. The receiver chain 1110 may include at least one decoder for decoding the processing the demodulated signal to receive the transmitted data.

[0117] A transmitter chain 1112 may be configured to generate and transmit signals (e.g., control information, data, packets). The transmitter chain 1112 may include at least one modulator for modulating data onto a carrier signal, preparing the signal for transmission over a wireless medium. The at least one modulator may be configured to support one or more techniques such as amplitude modulation (AM), frequency modulation (FM), or digital modulation schemes like phase-shift keying (PSK) or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). The transmitter chain 1112 may also include at least one power amplifier configured to amplify the modulated signal to an appropriate power level suitable for transmission over the wireless medium. The transmitter chain 1112 may also include one or more antennas for transmitting the amplified signal into the air or wireless medium.

[0118] Accordingly, one aspect of the disclosure provides a user equipment (UE) for wireless communication, the user equipment including a transceiver, at least one memory, and at least one processor coupled with the transceiver and the at least one memory. The at least one processor is configured to cause the user equipment to: communicatively connect to and collaborate with at least one second UE to enable a virtual UE (VUE), each UE within the VUE having at least one closed-loop uplink power control loop, and at least a first loop among the at least one closed-loop uplink power control loop of each UE assigned to be utilized for VUE communications; determine a number of trackable closed-loop uplink Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCTpower control loops for the VUE as a sum of a number of first loops of each UE within the VUE; and forward, via the transceiver to a serving base station of the VUE, an indication of the number of trackable closed-loop uplink power control loops for the VUE communications.

[0119] According to one or more embodiment, a subset of the UEs within the VUE have at least two closed-loop uplink power control loops, and each UE in the subset assigns one of the loops to the VUE for tracking of loops. Each UE in the subset assigns a first loop to complete loop tracking features of the VUE. Additionally, in one or more embodiments. one or more UEs within the VUE can have a single closed-loop uplink power control loop, and as such, may not be included in the subset of UEs that provides tracking of loops for the VUE. In some situations, these single loop UEs can assign their single loop for tracking to the VUE for a set duration of time. On such occasions, the single loop UEs are included in the subset of loops and cannot be involved in any non-VUE communication for the duration of time the UE is included in the subset.

[0120] In one embodiment, the at least one closed-loop uplink power control loop comprises at least two closed-loop uplink power control loops, and the processor further configures the user equipment to assign a second loop among the at least two closed-loop uplink power control loops for non-VUE communications, wherein each UE within the VUE also tracks a closed-loop power control process for the non-VUE communications.

[0121] In one embodiment, the processor further configures the user equipment to: assign both the first loop and the second loop to be utilized for the VUE communications for a set duration of time; and pause tracking of closed-loop power control processes for the non-VUE communications during the set duration of time.

[0122] In one embodiment, the processor configures the user equipment to transmit the indication via capability reporting signaling. In another embodiment, the processor configures the user equipment to transmit the indication via UE assistance information.

[0123] According to one aspect of the disclosure, a trackable closed-loop uplink power control loop corresponds to a PUSCH power control adjustment state and the number of trackable closed-loop uplink power control loops is a number of PUSCH power control adjustment states. Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCT

[0124] In one embodiment, to enable the the processor further configures the user equipment to: establish, via the transceiver, a communication link with the at least one second UE in communication range of the UE; and receive, from each of the at least one second UE, an uplink connectivity status with the serving base station and a number of trackable closed- loop uplink power control loops allocated for the VUE communication.

[0125] In one embodiment, the processor further configures the user equipment to trasmsmit a buffer status report (BSR) associated with the VUE communcation to the serving base station, the BSR indicating which UE and how many UEs within the VUE will cooperate in uplink (UL) transmissions associated with the BSR.

[0126] In one embodiment, the processor further configures the user equipment to: identify a change in UE availability within the VUE; determine that the change is a temporary change; and in response to the change being a temporary change, transmit a second indication to the serving base station, the second indication providing an expected time for the VUE to return to a previous configuration of UEs within the VUE and information related to indices of uplink power control adjustment states that are affected.

[0127] In one embodiment, the processor further configures the user equipment to ignore a DCI scheduling an uplink transmission with an uplink power control adjustment state index among the indices that are affected. In one embodiment, the processor further configures the user equipment to temporarily pause non-VUE communication for a pre-set duration of time following a start of an uplink transmission of a packet by the VUE.

[0128] In one embodiment, the processor further configures the user equipment to: receive, via the transceiver from the serving base station, a downlink control information (DCI) scheduling a VUE uplink (UL) transmission, the DCI comprising a transmit power control (TPC) command to adjust VUE uplink transmission power, where the VUE uplink transmission comprises a first physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission by a first UE registered within the VUE and a second PUSCH transmission by a second UE within the VUE; calculate a power headroom report (PHR) based on a maximum output power of the first UE, with the TPC command is applied, where the PHR is communicated to a control function of the VUE; determine a first TPC value for the first UE and a second TPC value for the second UE based on the TPC command and the PHR; and transmit the VUE UL Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCTtransmission comprising a first uplink by the first UE based on the first TPC value and a second uplink trasmission by the second UE based on the second TPC value.

[0129] In one embodiment, the first uplink transmission has a first uplink transmission power and the second uplink transmission has a second uplink transmission power, and in reponse to performed both uplinks in non-overlapping frequency resources, an absolute value of a difference between the first uplink transmission power and the second uplink transmission power is smaller than a pre-established threshold..

[0130] Figure 12 illustrates an example of a processor 1200 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The processor 1200 may be an example of a processor configured to perform various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. The processor 1200 may include a controller 1202 configured to perform various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. The processor 1200 may optionally include at least one memory 1204, which may be, for example, an L1 / L2 / L3 cache. Additionally, or alternatively, the processor 1200 may optionally include one or more arithmetic-logic units (ALUs) 1206. One or more of these components may be in electronic communication or otherwise coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more interfaces (e.g., buses).

[0131] The processor 1200 may be a processor chipset and include a protocol stack (e.g., a software stack) executed by the processor chipset to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, retrieving, transmitting, outputting, forwarding, storing, determining, identifying, accessing, writing, reading) in accordance with examples as described herein. The processor chipset may include one or more cores, one or more caches (e.g., memory local to or included in the processor chipset (e.g., the processor 1200) or other memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), static RAM (SRAM), ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), magnetic RAM (MRAM), resistive RAM (RRAM), flash memory, phase change memory (PCM), and others).

[0132] The controller 1202 may be configured to manage and coordinate various operations (e.g., signaling, receiving, obtaining, retrieving, transmitting, outputting, forwarding, storing, determining, identifying, accessing, writing, reading) of the processor 1200 to cause the processor 1200 to support various operations in accordance with examples as described Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCTherein. For example, the controller 1202 operate as a control unit of the processor 1200, generating control signals that manage the operation of various components of the processor 1200. These control signals include enabling or disabling functional units, selecting data paths, initiating memory access, and coordinating timing of operations.

[0133] The controller 1202 may be configured to fetch (e.g., obtain, retrieve, receive) instructions from the memory 1204 and determine subsequent instruction(s) to be executed to cause the processor 1200 to support various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. The controller 1202 may be configured to track memory address of instructions associated with the memory 1204. The controller 1202 may be configured to decode instructions to determine the operation to be performed and the operands involved. For example, the controller 1202 may be configured to interpret the instruction and determine control signals to be output to other components of the processor 1200 to cause the processor 1200 to support various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. Additionally, or alternatively, the controller 1202 may be configured to manage flow of data within the processor 1200. The controller 1202 may be configured to control transfer of data between registers, arithmetic logic units (ALUs), and other functional units of the processor 1200.

[0134] The memory 1204 may include one or more caches (e.g., memory local to or included in the processor 1200 or other memory, such RAM, ROM, DRAM, SDRAM, SRAM, MRAM, flash memory, etc. In some implementations, the memory 1204 may reside within or on a processor chipset (e.g., local to the processor 1200). In some other implementations, the memory 1204 may reside external to the processor chipset (e.g., remote to the processor 1200).

[0135] The memory 1204 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code including instructions that, when executed by the processor 1200, cause the processor 1200 to perform various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or another type of memory. The controller 1202 and / or the processor 1200 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in the memory 1204 to cause the processor 1200 to perform various functions. For example, the processor 1200 and / or the controller 1202 may be coupled with or to the memory 1204, the processor 1200, the controller 1202, and the memory 1204 may Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCTbe configured to perform various functions herein. In some examples, the processor 1200 may include multiple processors and the memory 1204 may include multiple memories. One or more of the multiple processors may be coupled with one or more of the multiple memories, which may, individually or collectively, be configured to perform various functions herein.

[0136] The one or more ALUs 1206 may be configured to support various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, the one or more ALUs 1206 may reside within or on a processor chipset (e.g., the processor 1200). In some other implementations, the one or more ALUs 1206 may reside external to the processor chipset (e.g., the processor 1200). One or more ALUs 1206 may perform one or more computations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division on data. For example, one or more ALUs 1206 may receive input operands and an operation code, which determines an operation to be executed. One or more ALUs 1206 be configured with a variety of logical and arithmetic circuits, including adders, subtractors, shifters, and logic gates, to process and manipulate the data according to the operation. Additionally, or alternatively, the one or more ALUs 1206 may support logical operations such as AND, OR, exclusive-OR (XOR), not-OR (NOR), and not-AND (NAND), enabling the one or more ALUs 1206 to handle conditional operations, comparisons, and bitwise operations.

[0137] The processor 1200 may support wireless communication in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The processor 1200 may be configured to or operable to support a means for performing the various processes described herein as being performed by the UE 1100 of Figure 11. Specifically, the processor may be configured to: communicatively connect to and collaborate with at least one second UE to enable a virtual UE (VUE), each UE within the VUE having at least one closed-loop uplink power control loop, and at least a first loop among the at least one closed-loop uplink power control loop of each UE assigned to be utilized for VUE communications; determine a number of trackable closed-loop uplink power control loops for the VUE communications as a sum of the number of first loops of each UE within the VUE; and forward, via the transceiver to a serving base station of the VUE, an indication of the number of trackable closed-loop uplink power control loops for the VUE communications. Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCT

[0138] Accordingly, one aspect of the provides a processor for wireless communication, the processor including at least one controller coupled with at least one memory and configured to cause the processor to perform the various features described above as performed by the UE.

[0139] Figure 13 illustrates an example of a NE 1300 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. NE 1300 is assumed to be the same as, or to perform similar functions as, serving base station, gNB 102, referenced throughout the description. The NE 1300 may include a processor 1302, a memory 1304, a controller 1306, and a transceiver 1308. The processor 1302, the memory 1304, the controller 1306, or the transceiver 1308, or various combinations thereof or various components thereof may be examples of means for performing various aspects of the present disclosure as described herein. These components may be coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more interfaces.

[0140] The processor 1302, the memory 1304, the controller 1306, or the transceiver 1308, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., circuitry). The hardware may include a processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or other programmable logic device, or any combination thereof configured as or otherwise supporting a means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure.

[0141] The processor 1302 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general- purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, an ASIC, an FPGA, or any combination thereof). In some implementations, the processor 1302 may be configured to operate the memory 1304. In some other implementations, the memory 1304 may be integrated into the processor 1302. The processor 1302 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in the memory 1304 to cause the NE 1300 to perform various functions of the present disclosure.

[0142] The memory 1304 may include volatile or non-volatile memory. The memory 1304 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code including instructions when executed by the processor 1302 cause the NE 1300 to perform various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such the memory 1304 or another type of memory. Computer-readable media includes both non- transitory computer storage media and communication media including any medium that Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCTfacilitates transfer of a computer program one place to another. A non-transitory storage medium may be any available medium that may be accessed by a general-purpose or special- purpose computer.

[0143] In some implementations, the processor 1302 and the memory 1304 coupled with the processor 1302 may be configured to cause the NE 1300 to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., executing, by the processor 1302, instructions stored in the memory 1304). For example, the processor 1302 may support wireless communication at the NE 1300 in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The NE 1300 may be configured to support a means for: receiving, via a transceiver, an indication from a first user equipment, the indication comprising a maximum output power supported by a virtual UE (VUE) having the first user equipment configured as an anchor UE with at least one second UE communicatively connected to the anchor UE; scheduling an uplink transmission of a data payload for the virtual UE based on the received maximum output power; receiving the uplink transmission as multiple transmissions from a plurality of different UEs that have separate uplinks with the base station and collaboratively provide a virtual UE with the maximum output power; and determining the data payload based on the received uplink transmission from the virtual UE.

[0144] The controller 1306 may manage input and output signals for the NE 1300. The controller 1306 may also manage peripherals not integrated into the NE 1300. In some implementations, the controller 1306 may utilize an operating system such as iOS®, ANDROID®, WINDOWS®, or other operating systems. In some implementations, the controller 1306 may be implemented as part of the processor 1302.

[0145] In some implementations, the NE 1300 may include at least one transceiver 1308. In some other implementations, the NE 1300 may have more than one transceiver 1308. The transceiver 1308 may represent a wireless transceiver. The transceiver 1308 may include one or more receiver chains 1310, one or more transmitter chains 1312, or a combination thereof.

[0146] A receiver chain 1310 may be configured to receive signals (e.g., control information, data, packets) over a wireless medium. For example, the receiver chain 1310 may include one or more antennas for receive the signal over the air or wireless medium. The receiver chain 1310 may include at least one amplifier (e.g., a low-noise amplifier (LNA)) configured to amplify the received signal. The receiver chain 1310 may include at least one demodulator Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCTconfigured to demodulate the receive obtain the transmitted data by reversing the modulation technique applied during transmission of the signal. The receiver chain 1310 may include at least one decoder for decoding the processing the demodulated signal to receive the transmitted data.

[0147] A transmitter chain 1312 may be configured to generate and transmit signals (e.g., control information, data, packets). The transmitter chain 1312 may include at least one modulator for modulating data onto a carrier signal, preparing the signal for transmission over a wireless medium. The at least one modulator may be configured to support one or more techniques such as amplitude modulation (AM), frequency modulation (FM), or digital modulation schemes like phase-shift keying (PSK) or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). The transmitter chain 1312 may also include at least one power amplifier configured to amplify the modulated signal to an appropriate power level suitable for transmission over the wireless medium. The transmitter chain 1312 may also include one or more antennas for transmitting the amplified signal into the air or wireless medium.

[0148] Accordingly, one aspect of the disclosure presents a base station for wireless communication, the base station including a transceiver, at least one memory, and at least one processor coupled with the transceiver and the at least one memory. The at least one processor is configured to cause the base station to: receive, via the transceiver, an indication from a first user (UE) equipment, the indication indicating the first UE is an anchor UE for a virtual UE (VUE) having the first user equipment configured as the anchor UE with at least one second UE communicatively connected to the anchor UE to collaborate as the VUE; receive a capability reporting signaling from the VUE; determine, from the capability reporting signaling, a number of physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) power control indices the VUE is able to track; generate a mapping between an SRI value and a PUSCH power control adjustment state index, and a pathloss estimate; and transmit a downlink control information (DCI) that comprises an SRI value and that schedules an UL transmission with a TPC command associated to a PUSCH power control adjustment state index that is derived from the SRI value.

[0149] In one embodiment, the at least one processor configures the base station to receive, via the transceiver from an anchor node of the VUE, an indication of a number of first loops available for uplink transmission from the VUE. Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCT

[0150] In one embodiment, the at least configures the base station to: receive VUE uplink transmission as multiple uplink transmissions from a plurality of different UEs that have separate uplinks with the base station; and determine data payload from the multiple uplink transmissions.

[0151] In one embodiment, the at least one processor configures the base station to: receive, via the transceiver from the first UE, a VUE ID associated with VUE; and associate the received multiple transmissions utilizing the VUE ID.

[0152] In one embodiment, the at least one processor configures the base station to transmit to the first UE a second DCI scheduling an uplink (UL) transmission for the VUE with a first maximum output power based on a received maximum output power of the VUE.

[0153] Figure 14 illustrates a flowchart of a method in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method may be implemented by a UE as described herein. In some implementations, the UE may execute a set of instructions to control the function elements of the UE to perform the described functions.

[0154] At 1405, the method may include communicatively connecting to and collaborating with at least one second UE to enable a virtual UE (VUE), each UE within the VUE having at least one closed-loop uplink power control loop, and at least a first loop among the at least one closed-loop uplink power control loop of each UE assigned to be utilized for VUE communications. The operations of 1405 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1405 may be performed by a UE as described with reference to Figure 11.

[0155] At 1410, the method may include determining, by a processor of the user equipment, a number of trackable closed-loop uplink power control loops for the VUE communications as a sum of a number of first loops of each UE within the VUE. The operations of 1410 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1410 may be performed by a UE as described with reference to Figure 11.

[0156] At 1415, the method may include forwarding, via a transceiver of the UE to a serving base station of the VUE, an indication of the number of trackable closed-loop uplink power control loops for the VUE communications. The operations of 1415 may be performed in Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCTaccordance with examples as described In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1415 may be performed a UE as described with reference to Figure 11.

[0157] According to one or more embodiments, the at least one closed-loop uplink power control loop comprises at least two closed-loop uplink power control loops, and the method may further include assigning a second loop among the at least two closed-loop uplink power control loops for non-VUE communication, wherein each UE within the VUE also tracks a closed-loop power control process for non-VUE communications. The method may further include: assigning both the first loop and the second loop to be utilized for the VUE communications for a set duration of time; and pausing a tracking of closed-loop power control process for the non-VUE communications during the set duration of time.

[0158] According to one or more embodiments, the method may further include transmitting the indication to the serving base station via at least one of capability reporting signaling and UE assistance information.

[0159] According to one or more embodiments, the method may further include enabling the VUE by: establishing, via the transceiver, a communication link with the at least one second UE in communication range of the UE; and receiving, from each of the at least one second UE, an uplink connectivity status with the serving base station and a number of trackable closed-loop uplink power control loops allocated for the VUE communication.

[0160] According to one or more embodiments, the method may further include trasmsmitting a buffer status report (BSR) associated with the VUE communcation to the serving base station, the BSR indicating which UE and how many UEs within the VUE will cooperate in uplink (UL) transmissions associated with the BSR.

[0161] According to one or more embodiments, the method may further include identifying a change in a UE availability within the VUE; determining that the change is a temporary change. The method may include in response to the change being a temporary change: transmitting a second indication to the serving base station, the second indication providing an expected time for the VUE to return to a previous configuration of user devices within the VUE and information related to indices of uplink power control adjustment states that are affected; and ignoring a DCI scheduling an uplink transmission with an uplink power control adjustment state index among the indices that are affected. The method may further include Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCTtemporarily pausing non-VUE for a pre-set duration of time following a start of an uplink transmission of a packet by the VUE.

[0162] According to one or more embodiments, the method may further include: receiving, via the transceiver from the serving base station, a downlink control information (DCI) scheduling an uplink (UL) transmission for the VUE, the DCI comprising a transmit power control (TPC) command to adjust VUE uplink transmission power, wherein the VUE uplink transmission comprises a first physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission by a first UE registered within the VUE and a second PUSCH transmission by a second UE within the VUE; calculating a power headroom report (PHR) based on a maximum output power of the first UE, with the TPC command is applied, wherein the PHR is communicated to a control function of the VUE; determining a first TPC value for the first UE and a second TPC value for the second UE based on the TPC command and the PHR; and transmitting the VUE UL transmission comprising a first uplink trasnmission by the first UE based on the first TPC value and a second uplink trasmission by the second UE based on the second TPC value.

[0163] It should be noted that the above method describes one possible implementation, and that the operations and the steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified and that other implementations are possible.

[0164] Figure 15 illustrates a flowchart of a method in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method may be implemented by a NE (e.g., serving base station, gNB 102) as described herein. In some implementations, the NE may execute a set of instructions to control the function elements of the NE to perform the described functions.

[0165] At 1505, the method may include receiving, via a transceiver of the base station, an indication from a first user (UE) equipment, the indication indicating the first UE is an anchor UE for a virtual UE (VUE) having the first UE configured as the anchor UE with at least one second UE communicatively connected to the anchor UE to collaborate as the VUE. The operations of 1505 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1505 may be performed by a NE as described with reference to Figure 13.

[0166] At 1510, the method may include receiving a capability reporting signaling from the VUE. The operations of 1510 may be performed in accordance with examples as described Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCTherein. In some implementations, aspects operations of 1510 may be performed by a NE as described with reference to Figure 13.

[0167] At 1515, the method may include determining, from the capability reporting signaling, a number of physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) power control indices the VUE is able to track. The operations of 1515 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1515 may be performed a NE as described with reference to Figure 13.

[0168] At 1520, the method may include generating a mapping between an SRI value and a PUSCH power control adjustment state index, and a pathloss estimate. The operations of 1520 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1520 may be performed a NE as described with reference to Figure 13.

[0169] At 1525, the method may include transmitting a downlink control information (DCI) that comprises an SRI value and that schedules an UL transmission with a TPC command associated to a PUSCH power control adjustment state index that is derived from the SRI value. The operations of 1520 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1520 may be performed a NE as described with reference to Figure 13.

[0170] It should be noted that the above method describes only one possible implementation, and that the operations and the steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified and that other implementations are possible.

[0171] The description herein is provided to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be apparent to a person having ordinary skill in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein. Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCT

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A user equipment (UE) for wireless communication, the user equipment comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the UE to: communicatively connect to and collaborate with at least one second UE to enable a virtual UE (VUE), each UE within the VUE having at least one closed-loop uplink power control loop, and at least a first loop among the at least one closed-loop uplink power control loops of each UE assigned to be utilized for VUE communications; determine a number of trackable closed-loop uplink power control loops for the VUE communications as a sum of the number of first loops of each UE within the VUE; forward, to a serving base station of the VUE, an indication of the number of trackable closed-loop uplink power control loops for the VUE communications.

2. The UE of claim 1, wherein the at least one closed-loop uplink power control loop comprises at least two closed-loop uplink power control loops, and the processor configures the user equipment to: assign a second loop among the at least two closed-loop uplink power control loops for non-VUE communications, wherein each UE within the VUE also tracks a closed-loop power control process for the non-VUE communications.

3. The UE of claim 2, wherein the processor configures the user equipment to: assign both the first loop and the second loop to be utilized for the VUE communications for a set duration of time; and pause tracking of closed-loop power control processes for the non-VUE communications during the set duration of time. Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCT4. The UE of claim 1, wherein a closed-loop uplink power control loop corresponds to a PUSCH power control adjustment state and the number of trackable closed- loop uplink power control loops is a number of PUSCH power control adjustment states.

5. The UE of claim 1, wherein: to enable the VUE, the processor configures the UE to: establish a communication link with the at least one second UE in communication range of the UE; and receive, from each of the at least one second UE, an uplink connectivity status with the serving base station and a number of trackable closed-loop uplink power control loops allocated for the VUE communication; and the processor configures the user equipment to: trasmsmit a buffer status report (BSR) associated with the VUE communcation to the serving base station, the BSR indicating which UE and how many UEs within the VUE will cooperate in uplink (UL) transmissions associated with the BSR.

6. The UE of claim 1, wherein the processor further configures the UE to: identify a change in UE availability within the VUE; determine that the change is a temporary change; and in response to the change being a temporary change: transmit a second indication to the serving base station, the second indication providing an expected time for the VUE to return to a previous configuration of UEs within the VUE and information related to indices of uplink power control adjustment states that are affected.

7. The UE of claim 6, wherein the processor further configures the UE to ignore a DCI scheduling an uplink transmission with an uplink power control adjustment state index among the indices that are affected. Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCT8. The UE of claim 1, wherein the further configures the UE to: receive, from the serving base station, a downlink control information (DCI) scheduling a VUE uplink (UL) transmission, the DCI comprising a transmit power control (TPC) command to adjust VUE uplink transmission power, wherein the VUE uplink transmission comprises a first physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission by a first UE registered within the VUE and a second PUSCH transmission by a second UE within the VUE; calculate a power headroom report (PHR) based on a maximum output power of the first UE, with the TPC command is applied, wherein the PHR is communicated to a control function of the VUE; determine a first TPC value for the first UE and a second TPC value for the second UE based on the TPC command and the PHR; and transmit the VUE UL transmission comprising a first uplink trasnmission by the first UE based on the first TPC value and a second uplink trasmission by the second UE based on the second TPC value.

9. A processor for wireless communication, the processor comprising: at least one controller coupled with at least one memory and configured to cause the processor to: communicatively connect to and collaborate with at least one second UE to enable a virtual UE (VUE), each UE within the VUE having at least one closed-loop uplink power control loop, and at least a first loop among the at least one closed-loop uplink power control loops of each UE assigned to be utilized for VUE communications; determine a number of trackable closed-loop uplink power control loops for the VUE communications as a sum of the number of first loops of each UE within the VUE; forward, to a serving base station of the VUE, an indication of the number of trackable closed-loop uplink power control loops for the VUE communications. Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCT10. The processor of claim 9, wherein at least one closed-loop uplink power control loop comprises at least two closed-loop uplink power control loops, and the controller configures the processor to: assign a second loop among the at least two closed-loop uplink power control loops for non-VUE communications, wherein each UE within the VUE also tracks a closed-loop power control process for the non-VUE communications; assign both the first loop and the second loop to be utilized for the VUE communications for a set duration of time; and pause tracking of closed-loop power control processes for the non-VUE communications during the set duration of time.

11. The processor of claim 9, wherein the controller further configures the processor to: identify a change in UE availability within the VUE; determine that the change is a temporary change; and in response to the change being a temporary change: transmit a second indication to the serving base station, the second indication providing an expected time for the VUE to return to a previous configuration of UEs within the VUE and information related to indices of uplink power control adjustment states that are affected; and ignore a DCI scheduling an uplink transmission with an uplink power control adjustment state index among the indices that are affected.

12. The processor of claim 9, wherein the controller further configures the processor to: receive, from the serving base station, a downlink control information (DCI) scheduling a VUE uplink (UL) transmission, the DCI comprising a transmit power control (TPC) command to adjust VUE uplink transmission power, wherein the VUE uplink transmission comprises a first physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission by a first UE registered within the VUE and a second PUSCH transmission by a second UE within the VUE; Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCTcalculate a power headroom report based on a maximum output power of the first UE, with the TPC command is applied, wherein the PHR is communicated to a control function of the VUE; determine a first TPC value for the first UE and a second TPC value for the second UE based on the TPC command and the PHR; and transmit the VUE UL transmission comprising a first uplink trasnmission by the first UE based on the first TPC value and a second uplink trasmission by the second UE based on the second TPC value.

13. A method for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: communicatively connecting to and collaborating with at least one second UE to enable a virtual UE (VUE), each UE within the VUE having at least one closed-loop uplink power control loop, and at least a first loop among the at least one closed-loop uplink power control loop of each UE assigned to be utilized for VUE communications; determining, by a processor of the user equipment, a number of trackable closed-loop uplink power control loops for the VUE communications as a sum of a number of first loops of each UE within the VUE; and forwarding, to a serving base station of the VUE, an indication of the number of trackable closed-loop uplink power control loops for the VUE communications.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one closed-loop uplink power control loop comprises at least two closed-loop uplink power control loops, the method further comprising: assigning a second loop among the at least two closed-loop uplink power control loops for non-VUE communication, wherein each UE within the VUE also tracks a closed- loop power control process for non-VUE communications; assigning both the first loop and the second loop to be utilized for the VUE communications for a set duration of time; and pausing a tracking of closed-loop power control process for the non-VUE communications during the set duration of time. Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCT15. The method of claim 13, further identifying a change in a UE availability within the VUE; and determining that the change is a temporary change; and in response to the change being a temporary change: transmitting a second indication to the serving base station, the second indication providing an expected time for the VUE to return to a previous configuration of user devices within the VUE and information related to indices of uplink power control adjustment states that are affected; and ignoring a DCI scheduling an uplink transmission with an uplink power control adjustment state index among the indices that are affected.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising: receiving, via the transceiver from the serving base station, a downlink control information (DCI) scheduling an uplink (UL) transmission for the VUE, the DCI comprising a transmit power control (TPC) command to adjust VUE uplink transmission power, wherein the VUE uplink transmission comprises a first physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission by a first UE registered within the VUE and a second PUSCH transmission by a second UE within the VUE; calculating a power headroom report (PHR) based on a maximum output power of the first UE, with the TPC command is applied, wherein the PHR is communicated to a control function of the VUE; determining a first TPC value for the first UE and a second TPC value for the second UE based on the TPC command and the PHR; and transmitting the VUE UL transmission comprising a first uplink trasnmission by the first UE based on the first TPC value and a second uplink trasmission by the second UE based on the second TPC value.

17. A base station for wireless communication, the base station comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory, and configured to cause the base station to: Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCTreceive an indication from a first (UE) equipment, the indication indicating the first UE is an anchor UE for a virtual UE (VUE) having the first user equipment configured as the anchor UE with at least one second UE communicatively connected to the anchor UE to collaborate as the VUE; receive a capability reporting signaling from the VUE; determine, from the capability reporting signaling, a number of physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) power control indices the VUE is able to track; generate a mapping between an SRI value and a PUSCH power control adjustment state index, and a pathloss estimate; and transmit a downlink control information (DCI) that comprises a Spatial Relation Information (SRI) value and that schedules an UL transmission with a TPC command associated to a PUSCH power control adjustment state index that is derived from the SRI value.

18. The base station of claim 17, wherein the processor configures the base station to: receive, via the transceiver from an anchor node of the VUE, an indication of a number of first loops available for uplink transmission from the VUE.

19. The base station of claim 17, wherein the processor configures the base station to: receive, via the transceiver from the first UE, a VUE ID associated with VUE; receive VUE uplink transmission as multiple uplink transmissions from a plurality of different UEs that have separate uplinks with the base station; associate the received multiple transmissions utilizing the VUE ID; and determine data payload from the multiple uplink transmissions.

20. The base station of claim 17, wherein the at least one processor configures the base station to: transmit to the first UE a second DCI scheduling an uplink (UL) transmission for the VUE with a first maximum output power based on a received maximum output power of the VUE. Attorney Docket No. SMM920230274-WO-PCT

Images