Method and apparatus for signaling path loss information

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and computer program product are provided for signaling path- loss information. As described herein, a method may include: receiving at least one MAC (Medium Access Control) CE (Control Element) comprising a bitmap, where at least one bit of the bitmap is indicative of whether the at least one MAC CE includes at least one path-loss information field associated with at least one TCI (Transmission Configuration Indicator) State; in response to the at least one bit indicating that the at least one MAC CE comprises the at least one path-loss information field, determining path-loss information from the at least one MAC CE; and determining a transmission power corresponding to the at least one TCI State based, at least in part, on the path-loss information.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SIGNALING PATH LOSS INFORMATIONRELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims priority to FI Application No. 20245831 filed June 28, 2024, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD

[0002] A method, apparatus, and computer program product are provided for signaling path-loss information to a mobile device, and more particularly, to a method, apparatus, and computer program product for communicating path-loss information using a MAC (Medium Access Control) Control Element with a bitmap.BACKGROUND

[0003] Network communication relies upon transmission and reception of signals among network nodes and user devices. This communication may be complex and communication sessions for a user device can be supported by a plurality of nodes based on movement of the device and / or based on various other factors, such as bandwidth at a specific node.Communication with a mobile device with different nodes benefits from an understanding of a respective node. For example, a direction of the node relative to the mobile device can be beneficial for beamformed communications. A distance between a node and a mobile device is beneficial for determining the transmission power with which a signal should be sent.

[0004] Determining a transmission power level for a signal is challenging as there are numerous factors that impact the level of power required for proper signal transmission to a given node. An incorrect transmission power level can result in signal noise and signal interference, and result in a poor communication session or dropped sessions. However, an understanding of path-loss or the reduction in power density of an electromagnetic wave as the electromagnetic wave travels between a network device and a network node may assist in determining a proper transmission power level.

[0005] Establishing power levels for transmission of a signal can be performed using open-loop power control in which a device estimates a path-loss for transmission of uplink signals / channels (such as PUSCH, PUCCH, SRS, PRACH, etc.) based on measurements of the downlink signals and sets the transmission power accordingly. Closed-loop power control involves a network explicitly providing a transmit power-control command to a device.BRIEF SUMMARY

[0006] A method, apparatus, and computer program product are provided for signaling path-loss information to a mobile device, and more particularly, to a method, apparatus, and computer program product for communicating path-loss information using a MAC (Medium Access Control) Control Element with a bitmap. Certain embodiments include an apparatus including at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions, that when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receive at least one MAC CE (Control Element) comprising a bitmap, where at least one bit of the bitmap is indicative of whether the at least one MAC CE comprises at least one path-loss information field associated with at least one TCI (Transmission Configuration Indicator) State; in response to the at least one bit indicating that the at least one MAC CE comprises the at least one path-loss information field, determine path-loss information from the at least one MAC CE; and determine a transmission power corresponding to the at least one TCI State based, at least in part, on the path-loss information.

[0007] According to some embodiments the path-loss information includes at least one of: at least one path-loss offset, at least one path-loss value, or at least one path-loss configuration. The path-loss information of some embodiments includes a specified path-loss value for a corresponding TCI State. The apparatus of certain embodiments is further caused to: provide for transmission of an uplink signal or channel according to the at least one TCI State at the transmission power corresponding to the at least one TCI State based, at least in part, on the path-loss information. According to certain embodiments one or more bits of the bitmap is associated with at least one of at least one active TCI State, at least one indicated TCI State, or at least one configured TCI State.

[0008] The at least one MAC CE of some embodiments further includes at least one of an indication of mapping of the path-loss information to one or more TCI States within the bitmap, or the indication of the mapping comprises at least one reserved bit for indicating whether the at least one MAC CE comprises the path-loss information field for the at least one TCI State. According to some embodiments at least one of a least significant bit of the bitmap or a most significant bit of the bitmap is mapped to at least one of: at least one first indicated TCI State, first active TCI State, or first configured TCI State; or at least one first indicated TCI State, first active TCI State, or first configured TCI State associated with respective path-loss information.

[0009] According to certain embodiments at least one of a second least significant bit of the bitmap or a second most significant bit of the bitmap is mapped to at least one of: asecond indicated TCI State; or the second indicated TCI State associated with corresponding path-loss information. A least significant bit or a most significant bit of some embodiments is mapped to at least one of a lowest active TCI State, a smallest active TCI State, a highest active TCI State, a lowest TCI State ID (identifier), or a smallest TCI State Identifier. According to certain embodiments, at least one of a least significant bit of the bitmap or a most significant bit of the bitmap is mapped to at least one of: a path-loss offset or a path-loss configuration associated with the at least one active TCI State, the at least one indicated TCI State, or the at least one configured TCI State; or a path-loss offset or a path-loss configuration associated with a lowest TCI State ID (identifier) field; or a path-loss offset or a path-loss configuration associated with a lowest TCI State ID and associated with the at least one active TCI State, the at least one indicated TCI State, or the at least one configured TCI State.

[0010] The at least one MAC CE of some embodiments includes at least one of an indication of a size of the bitmap or a number of octets occupied by the bitmap. The at least one MAC CE of some embodiments includes a first MAC CE comprising the bitmap where the at least one MAC CE includes a second MAC CE including the at least one path-loss information field. According to certain embodiments the at least one MAC CE includes a first MAC CE including the bitmap, and the first MAC CE includes the at least one path-loss information field. The at least one path-loss information field of some embodiments is associated with the at least one TCI State based, at least in part, on an association of the at least one path-loss information field to at least one path-loss configuration (respectively, to at least one pathloss reference signal) and association of the at least one TCI State to the at least one path-loss configuration (respectively, to the at least one pathloss reference signal).

[0011] According to some embodiments, in response to the at least one bit indicating that the at least one MAC CE does not include the at least one path-loss information field, the apparatus is further caused to determine that a corresponding TCI State does not have pathloss information. In response to the at least one bit indicating that the at least one MAC CE includes the at least one path-loss information field, the apparatus of some embodiments is caused to determine that the at least one path-loss information field is associated with a TCI State having at least one of at least one path-loss offset, at least one path-loss value, or at least one path-loss configuration, where the path-loss information includes an update to the at least one of the at least one path-loss offset, the at least one path-loss value, or the at least one path-loss configuration. In response to the at least one bit of the bitmap indicating that the at least one MAC CE includes the at least one path-loss information field associated with the atleast one TCI State, the apparatus of some embodiments is further caused to associate the path-loss information from the at least one MAC CE with the at least one TCI State.

[0012] Other embodiments provided herein include a method including: receiving at least one MAC (Medium Access Control) CE (Control Element) comprising a bitmap, where at least one bit of the bitmap is indicative of whether the at least one MAC CE includes at least one path-loss information field associated with at least one TCI (Transmission Configuration Indicator) State; in response to the at least one bit indicating that the at least one MAC CE comprises the at least one path-loss information field, determining path-loss information from the at least one MAC CE; and determining a transmission power corresponding to the at least one TCI State based, at least in part, on the path-loss information. The path-loss information of some embodiments includes at least one of: at least one path-loss offset, at least one pathloss value, or at least one path-loss configuration.

[0013] The path-loss information of some embodiments includes a specified path-loss value for a corresponding TCI State. The method of certain embodiments further includes providing for transmission of an uplink signal or channel according to the at least one TCI State at the transmission power corresponding to the at least one TCI State based, at least in part, on the path-loss information. According to certain embodiments one or more bits of the bitmap is associated with at least one of at least one active TCI State, at least one indicated TCI State, or at least one configured TCI State.

[0014] The at least one MAC CE of some embodiments further includes at least one of an indication of mapping of the path-loss information to one or more TCI States within the bitmap, or the indication of the mapping comprises at least one reserved bit for indicating whether the at least one MAC CE comprises the path-loss information field for the at least one TCI State. According to some embodiments at least one of a least significant bit of the bitmap or a most significant bit of the bitmap is mapped to at least one of: at least one first indicated TCI State, first active TCI State, or first configured TCI State; or at least one first indicated TCI State, first active TCI State, or first configured TCI State associated with respective path-loss information.

[0015] According to certain embodiments at least one of a second least significant bit of the bitmap or a second most significant bit of the bitmap is mapped to at least one of: a second indicated TCI State; or the second indicated TCI State associated with corresponding path-loss information. A least significant bit or a most significant bit of some embodiments is mapped to at least one of a lowest active TCI State, a smallest active TCI State, a highest active TCI State, a lowest TCI State ID (identifier), or a smallest TCI State Identifier.According to certain embodiments, at least one of a least significant bit of the bitmap or a most significant bit of the bitmap is mapped to at least one of: a path-loss offset or a path-loss configuration associated with the at least one active TCI State, the at least one indicated TCI State, or the at least one configured TCI State; or a path-loss offset or a path-loss configuration associated with a lowest TCI State ID (identifier) field; or a path-loss offset or a path-loss configuration associated with a lowest TCI State ID and associated with the at least one active TCI State, the at least one indicated TCI State, or the at least one configured TCI State.

[0016] The at least one MAC CE of some embodiments includes at least one of an indication of a size of the bitmap or a number of octets occupied by the bitmap. The at least one MAC CE of some embodiments includes a first MAC CE comprising the bitmap where the at least one MAC CE includes a second MAC CE that includes the at least one path-loss information field. According to certain embodiments the at least one MAC CE includes a first MAC CE including the bitmap, and the first MAC CE includes the at least one path-loss information field. The at least one path-loss information field of some embodiments is associated with the at least one TCI State based, at least in part, on an association of the at least one path-loss information field to at least one path-loss configuration and association of the at least one TCI State to the at least one path-loss configuration.

[0017] According to some embodiments, in response to the at least one bit indicating that the at least one MAC CE does not include the at least one path-loss information field, the method further includes determining that a corresponding TCI State does not have path-loss information. In response to the at least one bit indicating that the at least one MAC CE includes the at least one path-loss information field, the method of some embodiments includes determining that the at least one path-loss information field is associated with a TCI State having at least one of at least one path-loss offset, at least one path-loss value, or at least one path-loss configuration, and the path-loss information includes an update to the at least one of the at least one path-loss offset, the at least one path-loss value, or the at least one path-loss configuration. In response to the at least one bit of the bitmap indicating that the at least one MAC CE includes the at least one path-loss information field associated with the at least one TCI State, the method of some embodiments further includes associating the pathloss information from the at least one MAC CE with the at least one TCI State.

[0018] Certain embodiments provided herein include a computer program product including at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computerexecutable program code portions stored therein, the computer-executable program codeportions including program code instructions configured to: receive at least one MAC (Medium Access Control) CE (Control Element) comprising a bitmap, where at least one bit of the bitmap is indicative of whether the at least one MAC CE comprises at least one pathloss information field associated with at least one TCI (Transmission Configuration Indicator) State; in response to the at least one bit indicating that the at least one MAC CE comprises the at least one path-loss information field, determine path-loss information from the at least one MAC CE; and determine a transmission power corresponding to the at least one TCI State based, at least in part, on the path-loss information.

[0019] According to some embodiments the path-loss information includes at least one of: at least one path-loss offset, at least one path-loss value, or at least one path-loss configuration. The path-loss information of some embodiments includes a specified path-loss value for a corresponding TCI State. The computer program product of certain embodiments further includes program code instructions to provide for transmission of an uplink signal or channel according to the at least one TCI State at the transmission power corresponding to the at least one TCI State based, at least in part, on the path-loss information. According to certain embodiments one or more bits of the bitmap is associated with at least one of at least one active TCI State, at least one indicated TCI State, or at least one configured TCI State.

[0020] The at least one MAC CE of some embodiments further includes at least one of an indication of mapping of the path-loss information to one or more TCI States within the bitmap, or the indication of the mapping comprises at least one reserved bit for indicating whether the at least one MAC CE comprises the path-loss information field for the at least one TCI State. According to some embodiments at least one of a least significant bit of the bitmap or a most significant bit of the bitmap is mapped to at least one of: at least one first indicated TCI State, first active TCI State, or first configured TCI State; or at least one first indicated TCI State, first active TCI State, or first configured TCI State associated with respective path-loss information.

[0021] According to certain embodiments at least one of a second least significant bit of the bitmap or a second most significant bit of the bitmap is mapped to at least one of: a second indicated TCI State; or the second indicated TCI State associated with corresponding path-loss information. A least significant bit or a most significant bit of some embodiments is mapped to at least one of a lowest active TCI State, a smallest active TCI State, a highest active TCI State, a lowest TCI State ID (identifier), or a smallest TCI State Identifier.According to certain embodiments, at least one of a least significant bit of the bitmap or a most significant bit of the bitmap is mapped to at least one of: a path-loss offset or a path-lossconfiguration associated with the at least one active TCI State, the at least one indicated TCI State, or the at least one configured TCI State; or a path-loss offset or a path-loss configuration associated with a lowest TCI State ID (identifier) field; or a path-loss offset or a path-loss configuration associated with a lowest TCI State ID and associated with the at least one active TCI State, the at least one indicated TCI State, or the at least one configured TCI State.

[0022] The at least one MAC CE of some embodiments includes at least one of an indication of a size of the bitmap or a number of octets occupied by the bitmap. The at least one MAC CE of some embodiments includes a first MAC CE comprising the bitmap and the at least one MAC CE includes a second MAC CE including the at least one path-loss information field. According to certain embodiments the at least one MAC CE includes a first MAC CE including the bitmap, and the first MAC CE includes the at least one path-loss information field. The at least one path-loss information field of some embodiments is associated with the at least one TCI State based, at least in part, on an association of the at least one path-loss information field to at least one path-loss configuration and association of the at least one TCI State to the at least one path-loss configuration.

[0023] According to some embodiments, in response to the at least one bit indicating that the at least one MAC CE does not include the at least one path-loss information field, the program code instructions determine that a corresponding TCI State does not have path-loss information. In response to the at least one bit indicating that the at least one MAC CE includes the at least one path-loss information field, the computer program code of some embodiments includes program code instructions to determine that the at least one path-loss information field is associated with a TCI State having at least one of at least one path-loss offset, at least one path-loss value, or at least one path-loss configuration, and the path-loss information includes an update to the at least one of the at least one path-loss offset, the at least one path-loss value, or the at least one path-loss configuration. In response to the at least one bit of the bitmap indicating that the at least one MAC CE includes the at least one pathloss information field associated with the at least one TCI State, the computer program product of some embodiments further includes program code instructions to associate the path-loss information from the at least one MAC CE with the at least one TCI State.

[0024] Certain embodiments provided herein include an apparatus including: means for receiving at least one MAC (Medium Access Control) CE (Control Element) comprising a bitmap, where at least one bit of the bitmap is indicative of whether the at least one MAC CE includes at least one path-loss information field associated with at least one TCI(Transmission Configuration Indicator) State; in response to the at least one bit indicating that the at least one MAC CE comprises the at least one path-loss information field, means for determining path-loss information from the at least one MAC CE; and means for determining a transmission power corresponding to the at least one TCI State based, at least in part, on the path-loss information. The path-loss information of some embodiments includes at least one of: at least one path-loss offset, at least one path-loss value, or at least one path-loss configuration.

[0025] The path-loss information of some embodiments includes a specified path-loss value for a corresponding TCI State. The apparatus of certain embodiments further includes means for providing for transmission of an uplink signal or channel according to the at least one TCI State at the transmission power corresponding to the at least one TCI State based, at least in part, on the path-loss information. According to certain embodiments one or more bits of the bitmap is associated with at least one of at least one active TCI State, at least one indicated TCI State, or at least one configured TCI State.

[0026] The at least one MAC CE of some embodiments further includes at least one of an indication of mapping of the path-loss information to one or more TCI States within the bitmap, or the indication of the mapping comprises at least one reserved bit for indicating whether the at least one MAC CE comprises the path-loss information field for the at least one TCI State. According to some embodiments at least one of a least significant bit of the bitmap or a most significant bit of the bitmap is mapped to at least one of: at least one first indicated TCI State, first active TCI State, or first configured TCI State; or at least one first indicated TCI State, first active TCI State, or first configured TCI State associated with respective path-loss information.

[0027] According to certain embodiments at least one of a second least significant bit of the bitmap or a second most significant bit of the bitmap is mapped to at least one of: a second indicated TCI State; or the second indicated TCI State associated with corresponding path-loss information. A least significant bit or a most significant bit of some embodiments is mapped to at least one of a lowest active TCI State, a smallest active TCI State, a highest active TCI State, a lowest TCI State ID (identifier), or a smallest TCI State Identifier. According to certain embodiments, at least one of a least significant bit of the bitmap or a most significant bit of the bitmap is mapped to at least one of: a path-loss offset or a path-loss configuration associated with the at least one active TCI State, the at least one indicated TCI State, or the at least one configured TCI State; or a path-loss offset or a path-loss configuration associated with a lowest TCI State ID (identifier) field; or a path-loss offset ora path-loss configuration associated with a lowest TCI State ID and associated with the at least one active TCI State, the at least one indicated TCI State, or the at least one configured TCI State.

[0028] The at least one MAC CE of some embodiments includes at least one of an indication of a size of the bitmap or a number of octets occupied by the bitmap. The at least one MAC CE of some embodiments includes a first MAC CE comprising the bitmap and the at least one MAC CE includes a second MAC CE that includes the at least one path-loss information field. According to certain embodiments the at least one MAC CE includes a first MAC CE including the bitmap, and the first MAC CE includes the at least one path-loss information field. The at least one path-loss information field of some embodiments is associated with the at least one TCI State based, at least in part, on an association of the at least one path-loss information field to at least one path-loss configuration and association of the at least one TCI State to the at least one path-loss configuration.

[0029] According to some embodiments, in response to the at least one bit indicating that the at least one MAC CE does not include the at least one path-loss information field, the apparatus further includes means for determining that a corresponding TCI State does not have path-loss information. In response to the at least one bit indicating that the at least one MAC CE includes the at least one path-loss information field, the apparatus of some embodiments includes means for determining that the at least one path-loss information field is associated with at least one TCI State having at least one of at least one path-loss offset, at least one path-loss value, or at least one path-loss configuration, and the path-loss information includes an update to the at least one of the at least one path-loss offset, the at least one path-loss value, or the at least one path-loss configuration. In response to the at least one bit of the bitmap indicating that the at least one MAC CE includes the at least one pathloss information field associated with the at least one TCI State, the apparatus of some embodiments further includes means for associating the path-loss information from the at least one MAC CE with the at least one TCI State.

[0030] Embodiments provided herein include an apparatus including: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: transmit, to a user equipment device, at least one MAC (Medium Access Control) CE (Control Element) including a bitmap, where at least one bit of the bitmap is indicative of whether the at least one MAC CE includes at least one path-loss information field associated with at least one TCI (Transmission Configuration Indicator) State. According to some embodiments, in response to the at least one bitindicating that the at least one MAC CE includes the at least one path-loss information field, the at least one MAC CE includes path-loss information. The path-loss information of some embodiments includes information to enable determination of a transmission power corresponding to the at least one TCI State based, at least in part, on the path-loss information.

[0031] According to some embodiments the path-loss information includes at least one of: at least one path-loss offset, at least one path-loss value, or at least one path-loss configuration. The path-loss information of some embodiments includes a specified path-loss value for a corresponding TCI State. According to some embodiments, one or more bits of the bitmap is associated with at least one of at least one active TCI State, at least one indicated TCI State, or at least one configured TCI State. According to some embodiments the at least one MAC CE further includes at least one of an indication of mapping of the pathloss information to one or more TCI States within the bitmap, or the indication of the mapping includes at least one reserved bit for indicating whether the at least one MAC CE includes the path-loss information field for the at least one TCI State.

[0032] According to some embodiments, at least one of a least significant bit of the bitmap or a most significant bit of the bitmap is mapped to at least one of: at least one first indicated TCI State, first active TCI State, or first configured TCI State; or at least one first indicated TCI State, first active TCI State, or first configured TCI State associated with respective path-loss information. According to certain embodiments, at least one of a second least significant bit of the bitmap or a second most significant bit of the bitmap is mapped to at least one of: a second indicated TCI State; or the second indicated TCI State associated with corresponding path-loss information.

[0033] According to some embodiments, a least significant bit or a most significant bit is mapped to at least one of an active TCI State with lowest identifier, an active TCI State with smallest identifier, an active TCI State with highest identifier. According to certain embodiments at least one of a least significant bit of the bitmap or a most significant bit of the bitmap is mapped to at least one of: a path-loss offset or a path-loss configuration associated with the at least one active TCI State, the at least one indicated TCI State, or the at least one configured TCI State; or a path-loss offset or a path-loss configuration associated with a lowest TCI State ID (identifier) field; or a path-loss offset or a path-loss configuration associated with a lowest TCI State ID and associated with the at least one active TCI State, the at least one indicated TCI State, or the at least one configured TCI State.

[0034] According to certain embodiments the at least one MAC CE includes at least one of an indication of a size of the bitmap or a number of octets occupied by the bitmap. According to some embodiments, the at least one MAC CE includes a first MAC CE including the bitmap, and where the at least one MAC CE includes a second MAC CE including the at least one path-loss information field. According to some embodiments, the at least one MAC CE includes a first MAC CE including the bitmap, and where the first MAC CE comprises the at least one path-loss information field.

[0035] According to certain embodiments, the at least one path-loss information field is associated with the at least one TCI State based, at least in part, on an association of the at least one path-loss information field to at least one path-loss configuration and association of the at least one TCI State to the at least one path-loss configuration. According to some embodiments, in response to the at least one bit indicating that the at least one MAC CE does not include the at least one path-loss information field, a corresponding TCI State does not have path-loss information.

[0036] According to certain embodiments, in response to the at least one bit indicating that the at least one MAC CE includes the at least one path-loss information field, the at least one path-loss information field is associated with a TCI State having at least one of at least one path-loss offset, at least one path-loss value, or at least one path-loss configuration, where the path-loss information includes an update to the at least one of the at least one pathloss offset, the at least one path-loss value, or the at least one path-loss configuration. According to some embodiments, in response to the at least one bit of the bitmap indicating that the at least one MAC CE includes the at least one path-loss information field associated with the at least one TCI State, the path-loss information from the at least one MAC CE is associated with the at least one TCI State.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] Having thus described certain example embodiments of the present disclosure in general terms, reference will hereinafter be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

[0038] Figure 1 is a diagram of a communication system according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0039] Figure 2 is a block diagram of an apparatus that may be specifically configured in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0040] Figure 3 illustrates an example depiction of a MAC CE for communicating pathloss information in utilizing a bitmap according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0041] Figure 4 illustrates another embodiment of a MAC CE encoded to provide pathloss information to a UE device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0042] Figure 5 is a flowchart of a method for signaling path-loss information to a mobile device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] Some embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all, embodiments of the disclosure are shown. Indeed, various embodiments of the disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the example embodiments set forth herein; rather, these example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. As used herein, the terms “data,” “content,” “information,” and similar terms may be used interchangeably to refer to data capable of being transmitted, received and / or stored in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure. Thus, use of any such terms should not be taken to limit the spirit and scope of example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0044] Additionally, as used herein, the term ‘circuitry’ refers to (a) hardware-only circuit implementations (e.g., implementations in analog circuitry and / or digital circuitry); (b) combinations of circuits and computer program product(s) comprising software and / or firmware instructions stored on one or more computer readable memories that work together to cause an apparatus to perform one or more functions described herein; and (c) circuits, such as, for example, a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s), that require software or firmware for operation even if the software or firmware is not physically present. This definition of ‘circuitry’ applies to all uses of this term herein, including in any claims. As a further example, as used herein, the term ‘circuitry’ also includes an implementation comprising one or more processors and / or portion(s) thereof and accompanying software and / or firmware. As another example, the term ‘circuitry’ as used herein also includes, for example, a baseband integrated circuit or applications processor integrated circuit for a mobile phone or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, othernetwork device (such as a core network apparatus), field programmable gate array, and / or other computing device.

[0045] One example of a communications network 10 in which an example embodiment may be deployed is depicted in Figure 1. The system of Figure 1 may be utilized for a variety of applications. For example, a communications network 10 may include at least one core network 12, at least one base station 14 (e.g., gNB, NodeB, etc.), and / or at least one user equipment device 16 (e.g., user equipment (UE), wireless device, user terminal, terminal device, etc.). While the base station 14 is capable of both uplink and downlink, also shown in Figure 1 are uplink-only node 18 and uplink-only node 19.

[0046] In Figure 1, user equipment (UE) device 16 is configured to have a wireless connection on one or more communication channels in a cell with an access node (such as a NodeB embodied by base station 14) that provides or defines the cell. The physical link from a user device to a NodeB is called the uplink or reverse link and the physical link from the NodeB to the user device is called the downlink or forward link. It should be appreciated that the NodeB s or their functionalities may be implemented by using any node, host, server, or access point (AP), and / or other entity suitable for such a usage.

[0047] A communications system typically comprises more than one NodeB, in which case the NodeBs may also be configured to communicate with one another over links, wired or wireless, designed for the purpose. These links may be used for signaling purposes. The NodeB is a computing device configured to control resources of the communication system to which the NodeB is coupled. The NodeB may also be referred to as a base station, an access point or any other type of interfacing device including a relay station capable of operating in a wireless environment.

[0048] A communications system of example embodiments may also employ one or more of reception-only nodes, uplink-only nodes, uplink-only TRP(s) (Transmission Reception Points), etc. for balancing coverage, throughput, and / or load between downlink and uplink communications in a network. Examples of such nodes are uplink-only node 18 and uplink-only node 19.

[0049] The user device illustrates one type of an apparatus or user equipment to which resources on the air interface are allocated and assigned, and thus any feature described herein with a user device may be implemented with a corresponding apparatus, such as the apparatus of Figure 2.

[0050] The UE device 16 typically refers to a portable computing device that includes wireless mobile communication devices operating with or without a subscriber identificationmodule (SIM), including, but not limited to, the following types of devices: a mobile station (mobile phone), smartphone, personal digital assistant (PDA), handset, device using a wireless modem (alarm or measurement device, etc.), laptop and / or touch screen computer, tablet, game console, notebook, and multimedia device. It should be appreciated that a user device may also be a nearly exclusive uplink-only device, of which an example is a camera or video camera loading images or video clips to a network. A user device may also be a device having capability to operate in Internet of Things (loT) network which is a scenario in which objects are provided with the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human- to-human or human-to-computer interaction. The user device is configured to perform one or more user equipment functionalities. The user device may also be called a subscriber unit, mobile station, remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal or user equipment just to mention but a few names or apparatuses.

[0051] Although an example embodiment may be deployed in various types of communications systems, a 5G communications system will be described herein by way of example, but not of limitation, and the method and apparatus of an example embodiment may be utilized in conjunction with other communication systems, such as 5G- Advanced, 6G, and / or the like. 5G enables using multiple input - multiple output (MIMO) antennas, many more base stations or nodes than Long Term Evolution (LTE) (a so-called small cell concept), including macro sites operating in co-operation with smaller stations and employing a variety of radio technologies depending on service needs, use cases and / or spectrum available. 5G mobile communications supports a wide range of use cases and related applications including video streaming, augmented reality, different ways of data sharing and various forms of machine type applications, including vehicular safety, different sensors, and real-time control. 5G may have various radio interfaces, namely below 6GHz, cmWave and mmWave, and may also be integratable with existing legacy radio access technologies, such as LTE. Integration with LTE may be implemented, at least in the early phase, as a system, where macro coverage is provided by LTE and 5G radio interface access comes from small cells by aggregation to LTE. In other words, 5G is planned to support both inter-RAT operability (such as LTE-5G) and inter-RI operability (inter-radio interface operability, such as below 6GHz - cmWave, below 6GHz - cmWave - mmWave). One of the concepts considered to be used in 5G networks is network slicing in which multiple independent and dedicated virtual sub-networks (network instances) may be created within the same infrastructure to run services that have different requirements on latency, reliability, throughput, and mobility.

[0052] The current architecture in LTE networks is fully distributed in the radio and fully centralized in the core network. The low latency applications and services in 5G require bringing the content close to the radio which leads to local break out and multi-access edge computing (MEC). 5G enables analytics and knowledge generation to occur at the source of the data. This approach requires leveraging resources that may not be continuously connected to a network such as laptops, smartphones, tablets, and sensors. MEC provides a distributed computing environment for application and service hosting. It also has the ability to store and process content in close proximity to cellular subscribers for faster response time. Edge computing covers a wide range of technologies such as wireless sensor networks, mobile data acquisition, mobile signature analysis, cooperative distributed peer-to-peer ad hoc networking and processing also classifiable as local cloud / fog computing and grid / mesh computing, dew computing, mobile edge computing, cloudlet, distributed data storage and retrieval, autonomic self-healing networks, remote cloud services, augmented and virtual reality, data caching, Internet of Things (massive connectivity and / or latency critical), and critical communications (autonomous vehicles, traffic safety, real-time analytics, time-critical control, and healthcare applications).

[0053] The communication network 10 is also able to communicate with other networks, such as a public switched telephone network or the Internet, or utilize services provided by the other networks. The communication network 10 may also be able to support the usage of cloud services, for example at least part of core network operations may be carried out as a cloud service. The communication system may also comprise a central control entity, or the like, providing facilities for networks of different operators to cooperate for example in spectrum sharing.

[0054] An edge cloud may be brought into radio access network (RAN) by utilizing network function virtualization (NVF) and software defined networking (SDN). Using edge cloud may mean access node operations to be carried out, at least partly, in a server, host or node operationally coupled to a remote radio head or base station comprising radio parts. It is also possible that node operations will be distributed among a plurality of servers, nodes, or hosts. Application of cloudRAN architecture enables RAN real time functions being carried out at the RAN side and non-real time functions being carried out in a centralized manner.

[0055] It should also be understood that the distribution of labor between core network operations and base station operations may differ from that of LTE or even be non-existent. Some other technology advancements that may be used are Big Data and all-internet protocol (IP), which may change the way networks are being constructed and managed. 5G (or newradio, NR) networks are being designed to support multiple hierarchies, where MEC servers can be placed between the core and the base station or nodeB (gNB). It should be appreciated that MEC can be applied in 4G networks as well.

[0056] 5G may also utilize satellite communication to enhance or complement the coverage of 5G service, for example by providing backhauling. Possible use cases may provide service continuity for machine-to-machine (M2M) or Internet of Things (loT) devices or for passengers on board vehicles, or ensure service availability for critical communications, and future railway / maritime / aeronautical communications. Satellite communication may utilize geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite systems, but also low earth orbit (LEO) satellite systems, in particular mega-constellations (systems in which hundreds of (nano)satellites are deployed). Each satellite in the mega-constellation may cover several satellite-enabled network entities that create on-ground cells. The on-ground cells may be created through an on-ground relay node or by a gNB located on-ground or in a satellite.

[0057] The depicted system is only an example of a part of a radio access system in which the network 10 of Figure 1 may be deployed and in practice, the system may comprise a plurality of NodeB s, the user devices may have access to a plurality of radio cells and the system may comprise also other apparatuses, such as physical layer relay nodes or other network elements, etc. At least one of the NodeBs or may be a Home NodeB. Additionally, in a geographical area of a radio communication system a plurality of different kinds of radio cells as well as a plurality of radio cells may be provided. Radio cells may be macro cells (or umbrella cells) which are large cells, usually having a diameter of up to tens of kilometers, or smaller cells such as micro-, femto- or picocells. The NodeBs of Figure 1 may provide any kind of these cells. A cellular radio system may be implemented as a multilayer network including several kinds of cells. Typically, in multilayer networks, one access node provides one kind of a cell or cells, and thus a plurality of NodeBs are required to provide such a network structure.

[0058] For fulfilling the need for improving the deployment and performance of communication systems, the concept of “plug-and-play” NodeBs has been introduced. Typically, a network which is able to use “plug-and-play” Node Bs, includes, in addition to Home NodeBs (HnodeBs or HNBs), a home node B gateway, or HNB-GW. A HNB Gateway (HNB-GW), which is typically installed within an operator’s network may aggregate traffic from a large number of HNBs back to a core network. Although Figure 1 depicts one example communication network in which network 10 of an example embodiment may bedeployed, the system of other example embodiments may be deployed in other types of systems, be they to support communications or otherwise.

[0059] One example of an apparatus 20 that may be configured to function as the core network 12, base station 14, and / or user equipment (UE) device 16 is depicted in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 2, the apparatus includes, is associated with or is in communication with processing circuitry 22, a memory 24 and a communication interface 26. The processing circuitry may be in communication with the memory device via a bus for passing information among components of the apparatus. The memory device may be non-transitory and may include, for example, one or more volatile and / or non-volatile memories. In other words, for example, the memory device may be an electronic storage device (e.g., a computer readable storage medium) comprising gates configured to store data (e.g., bits) that may be retrievable by a machine (e.g., a computing device like the processing circuitry). The memory device may be configured to store information, data, content, applications, instructions, or the like for enabling the apparatus to carry out various functions in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, the memory device could be configured to buffer input data for processing by the processing circuitry. Additionally or alternatively, the memory device could be configured to store instructions for execution by the processing circuitry.

[0060] Figure 2 depicts an example of a simplified block diagram of an apparatus according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, whose implementation may differ from what is shown. The connections shown in Figure 2 are logical connections; the actual physical connections may be different. It is apparent to a person skilled in the art that the system typically comprises also other functions and structures than those shown in Figure 2.

[0061] The apparatus 20 may, in some embodiments, be embodied in various computing devices as described above. However, in some embodiments, the apparatus may be embodied as a chip or chip set. In other words, the apparatus may comprise one or more physical packages (e.g., chips) including materials, components and / or wires on a structural assembly (e.g., a baseboard). The structural assembly may provide physical strength, conservation of size, and / or limitation of electrical interaction for component circuitry included thereon. The apparatus may therefore, in some cases, be configured to implement an embodiment of the present disclosure on a single chip or as a single “system on a chip.” As such, in some cases, a chip or chipset may constitute means for performing one or more operations for providing the functionalities described herein.

[0062] The processing circuitry 22 (also referenced as at least one processor) may be embodied in a number of different ways. For example, the processing circuitry may be embodied as one or more of various hardware processing means such as a coprocessor, a microprocessor, a controller, a digital signal processor (DSP), a processing element with or without an accompanying DSP, or various other circuitry including integrated circuits such as, for example, an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit), an FPGA (field programmable gate array), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a hardware accelerator, a specialpurpose computer chip, or the like. As such, in some embodiments, the processing circuitry 22 may include one or more processing cores configured to perform independently. A multicore processing circuitry may enable multiprocessing within a single physical package. Additionally or alternatively, the processing circuitry may include one or more processors configured in tandem via the bus to enable independent execution of instructions, pipelining and / or multithreading.

[0063] In an example embodiment, the processing circuitry 22 may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory 24 or otherwise accessible to the processing circuitry. Alternatively or additionally, the processing circuitry may be configured to execute hard coded functionality. As such, whether configured by hardware or software methods, or by a combination thereof, the processing circuitry may represent an entity (e.g., physically embodied in circuitry) capable of performing operations according to an embodiment of the present disclosure while configured accordingly. Thus, for example, when the processing circuitry is embodied as an ASIC, FPGA or the like, the processing circuitry may be specifically configured hardware for conducting the operations described herein.Alternatively or additionally, as another example, when the processing circuitry is embodied as an executor of instructions, the instructions may specifically configure the processor to perform the algorithms and / or operations described herein when the instructions are executed. However, in some cases, the processing circuitry 22 may be a processor of a specific device (e.g., an image or video processing system) configured to employ an embodiment of the present disclosure by further configuration of the processing circuitry by instructions for performing the algorithms and / or operations described herein. The processing circuitry 22 may include, among other things, a clock, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU) and logic gates configured to support operation of the processing circuitry.

[0064] The communication interface 26 may be any means such as a device or circuitry embodied in either hardware or a combination of hardware and software that is configured to receive and / or transmit data, including media content in the form of video or image files, oneor more audio tracks or the like. In this regard, the communication interface may include, for example, an antenna (or multiple antennas) and supporting hardware and / or software for enabling communications with a wireless communication network. Additionally or alternatively, the communication interface may include the circuitry for interacting with the antenna(s) to cause transmission of signals via the antenna(s) or to handle receipt of signals received via the antenna(s). In some environments, the communication interface may alternatively or also support wired communication. As such, for example, the communication interface may include a communication modem and / or other hardware / software for supporting communication via cable, digital subscriber line (DSL), universal serial bus (USB) or other mechanisms.

[0065] A significant issue in network communication is control of the signal power of an uplink signal. NR PUSCH (Physical Uplink Channel) carries user data and has reference signals used for channel estimation as part of coherent demodulation of PUSCH. Power control is generally based on a combination of open-loop and closed-loop power control. Open-loop power control includes support for fractional path-loss compensation, where a UE device (e.g., UE device 16 of Figure 1) estimates the uplink path-loss based on downlink measurements and sets the transmit power for the uplink accordingly. In closed-loop power control, transmit power for the uplink is determined based on explicit transmit power-control (TPC) commands provided by the network.

[0066] A UE device determines the PUSCH transmission power based on standards and procedures of the communication protocol. The UE device is indicated or determines closed- loop parameters (e.g., closed-loop index, PTC command) and open-loop parameters (e.g., path-loss reference). The TPC command is carried in a downlink control information (DCI) format that schedules the PUSCH transmission. Further, the TPC command (and corresponding closed-loop index) can be carried jointly to multiple UE devices by means of a group-common DCI using a specified DCI format.

[0067] The PUSCH transmission power is determined based on a number of parameters. These parameters can include: closed-loop index (also known as power control (PC) adjustment state), TPC command (fb,f,c, absolute or accumulative TPC command), path-loss reference RS (reference signal), pO (also denoted as PO_UE_PUSCH), alpha (for partial or full path-loss compensation), and DETLA_TF (i.e., ATF 6 c(t)), also sometimes referred to as the power adjustment component. This term essentially models how the required received power varies when the number of information BPRE (bits per resource element) changes due todifferent modulation schemes and channel-coding rates. If a UE device transmits a PUSCH on active uplink bandwidth part (BWP) b of a carrier / of serving cell c using parameter set configuration with index j and PUSCH power control adjustment state with index I, the UE device, such as the at least one processor, can determine the PUSCH power / ■pusCH, b, f ,c(j > d> 0 hi PUSCH transmission occasion i as:

[0068] The SRS (Sound Reference Signal) is a physical signal for uplink radio channel estimation. If a UE device transmits the SRS based on a configuration by SRS-ResourceSet on active uplink BWP b of carrier / of serving cell c using SRS power control adjustment state with index I, the UE device, such as the at least one processor, determines the SRS transmission power PsRS,b,f,c(i> ^s’ 0 inthe SRS transmission occasion i as:

[0069] The PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel) transmission power may be determined as follows. If a UE device transmits a PUCCH on active uplink BWP b of carrier / of serving cell c using PUCCH power control adjustment state with index I, the UE device, such as the at least one processor, determines the PUCCH transmission power^PUCCH, b,f,c(i> u> d> 0 hi PUCCH transmission occasion i as:

[0070] Path-loss (PL) is used to offset the loss of signal power due to the path, generally distance, the signal must travel to a respective node. Nodes that do not transmit and do not provide a downlink to a UE device cannot employ closed loop power control, while a gNodeB can transmit and receive, and thus is capable of closed loop power control. Since thedistance from the gNodeB shown as base station 14 in Figure 1 can be different than the UE device 16 from the uplink-only node 18 or uplink-only node 19, the same power level would generally not be appropriate for an uplink to those nodes.

[0071] Power control operations as detailed above include path-loss which is measured on the downlink from the node to the UE device. However, in scenarios in which a node is an uplink-only node, such as uplink-only nodes 18 and 19, the path-loss cannot be measured between the uplink-only node and the UE device. An example embodiment provided herein provides a method for obtaining path-loss information at a UE device that is used to communicate with an uplink-only node. A network, through a node such as the gNodeB base station 14 can provide information associated with path-loss to a UE device 16 via a MAC (Medium Access Control) layer for controlling access to shared radio resources for efficient communication within the network. Specifically, a MAC CE (Medium Access Control Control Element) can be encoded with path-loss information. This path-loss information can include a path-loss offset and / or a path-loss configuration.

[0072] A path-loss offset is a fixed value to compensate for an amount of power lost due to the distance or path between a network node and the UE device. A path-loss offset can compensate for this power loss to ensure that sufficient power is used for the uplink transmission from the UE device. A path-loss configuration is more complex with the potential to provide varying path-loss values based on a variety of factors or parameters of the UE device. The path-loss information described herein can include a path-loss offset and / or a path-loss configuration.

[0073] A MAC CE can be used to update the path-loss information for communication sessions between a UE device and an uplink-only node. An indication or update of path-loss information may be needed for scenarios in which communication from a device is with an uplink-only node as well as for other scenarios, such as where a base station / gNB / network determines, e.g., through measurements, feedback from the UE, and / or predictions (e.g., using AI-ML), and indicates path-loss information or a path-loss update / correction. An example embodiment described herein efficiently encodes a MAC CE for path-loss information.

[0074] The MAC CE is a structure employed by certain network protocols (e.g., Long- Term Evolution and 5G) that carries control information and can be of fixed-length or of variable-length. A bit string in a MAC (sub-)Header Logical Channel ID (LCID) field identifies the type of control information carried by the MAC CE. As described herein generally, the UE device, such as UE device 16 of Figure 1, receives a MAC CE, such asfrom base station 14, which includes path-loss information which may be initial path-loss information or an update to path-loss information. The MAC CE of an example embodiment includes a bitmap for providing an indication of whether path-loss information is provided for a given TCI (Transmission Configuration Indicator) State, where at least one bit of the bitmap is indicative of whether the MAC CE includes a path-loss information field or value for or corresponding to at least one TCI State. Based on the at least one bit of the bitmap indicating that path-loss information is present, the UE device determines whether the MAC CE includes path-loss information for or corresponding to at least one TCI State.

[0075] According to an example embodiment, each bit of the bitmap can indicate the presence or absence of path-loss information for a respective TCI State. At least one bit is mapped to or associated with at least one active TCI State and / or at least one indicated TCI State and / or configured TCI State. An active TCI State is ready to be used, while an indicated TCI State indicates which active TCI States are used for the uplink. A configured TCI State is a TCI State having identified a beam or target channel or signal for the UE Device. The mapping association between bits of the bitmap and TCI States, such as active, configured, or indicated joint / uplink TCI States, or path-loss information may be specified or configured, such as via RRC (Radio Resource Control). Optionally, an indication of the mapping or association between bits of the bitmap and TCI States may be provided in the MAC CE.

[0076] An example embodiment of the mapping or association can be based on bit significance. In most cases, the TCI State can be an active TCI State, configured TCI State, or indicated TCI State, hereinafter referred to as active / configured / indicated TCI State. For example, a least significant bit (LSB) or most significant bit (MSB) of the bitmap can be mapped to or associated with the first active / indicated / configured TCI State or to the TCI State corresponding to the lowest (or highest) “TCI State ID field” number. Optionally, the LSB or MSB of the bitmap can be mapped to or associated with (i) the first active / configured / indicated TCI State which is associated with path-loss information or (ii) the active / configured / indicated TCI State corresponding to the smallest (or largest) “TCI State ID field” number which is associated with the path-loss information.

[0077] Following the embodiment of the mapping or association process above, a second LSB (or MSB) of the bitmap is mapped to or associated with the second active / configured / indicated TCI State or the active / configured / indicated TCI State with the second lowest (or second highest) “TCI State ID field” number. Optionally, the LSB or MSB of the bitmap can be mapped to or associated with (i) the second active / configured / indicated TCI State which is associated with path-loss information or (ii) theactive / configured / indicated TCI State corresponding to the second smallest (or second largest) “TCI State ID field” number which is associated with the path-loss information.

[0078] Following further the embodiment of the mapping or association process above, an n‘hLSB (or MSB) of the bitmap is mapped to or associated with the nthactive / configured / indicated TCI State or the active / configured / indicated TCI State with the nthlowest (or nthhighest) “TCI State ID field” number. Optionally, the LSB or MSB of the bitmap can be mapped to or associated with (i) the n‘hactive / configured / indicated TCI State which is associated with path-loss information or (ii) the active / configured / indicated TCI State corresponding to the nthsmallest (or n‘hlargest) “TCI State ID field” number which is associated with the path-loss information.

[0079] Optionally, the LSB or MSB of the bitmap is mapped to or associated with the first active / configured / indicated TCI State or is mapped to or associated with the first active / configured / indicated TCI State which is associated with path-loss information. The second LSB or MSB is mapped to or associated with the second active / configured / indicated TCI State or is mapped to or associated with the second active / configured / indicated TCI State which is associated with path-loss information, and so forth.

[0080] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, an LSB or MSB of the bitmap is mapped to or associated with the path-loss information associated with the first active / indicated / configured TCI State or is mapped or associated with the path-loss information with the lowest ID, or path-loss information configuration with the lowest ID and which is associated to an active / configured / indicated TCI State(s).

[0081] A path-loss information field corresponding to at least one TCI State is determined to be present in the MAC CE if a corresponding bit in the bitmap is set to a given value, such as a one or zero. The MAC CE can include an indication of the size of the bitmap or indicative of a number of octets or bits the bitmap occupies or consumes in the MAC CE.

[0082] The path-loss information field may occupy at least one octet or part / field of an octet. The size of a path-loss information field may be configured via RRC or even indicated in the MAC CE. The bitmap size may be, for example, 16 or 8 bits, or possibly less than 8 (e.g., 4) bits. The bitmap size can be configurable, such as via the RRC. The path-loss information can include a path-loss configuration in the form of a path-loss offset configuration. Optionally, a path-loss value or field may correspond to a particular path-loss offset.

[0083] According to an example embodiment, information indicative of an indication or update of association or mapping of path-loss information to one or more TCI State(s) maybe indicated in the same MAC CE or a separate MAC CE. The configuration information can be changed through the MAC CE and an update can be defined in a MAC CE. The information about the association of one or more TCI States to path-loss information may be indicated through a bitmap, or through at least one new or reserved / existing bits, indicating whether the association of at least one TCI State to the path-loss information is indicated in the MAC CE or not.

[0084] According to some embodiments, if the path-loss information is indicated for at least one TCI State, the UE device considers that the at least one TCI State is associated with the indicated path-loss information. The information may be indicative that at least one TCI State is not associated with path-loss information or that at least one TCI State is associated with different / same path-loss information compared to previously indicated path-loss information for the at least one TCI State. In such a case, the path-loss information for the at least one TCI State can be updated according to the new information.

[0085] A UE device of example embodiments may receive a MAC CE including a bitmap, where at least one bit of the bitmap is indicative of whether the at least one MAC CE includes at least one path-loss information field associated with at least one TCI State. In response to the at least one bit of the bitmap indicating that the MAC CE includes the at least one path-loss information field, the path-loss information is determined from the at least one MAC CE. A transmission power for an uplink can be established using the path-loss information. The MAC CE including the bitmap indicative of whether the at least one MAC CE includes at least one path-loss information field can be separate from the MAC CE providing the path-loss information in some embodiments. The path-loss information can include at least one of at least one path-loss offset, at least one path-loss value, or at least one path-loss configuration. The path-loss information includes, in some embodiments, a specified or defined path-loss value for a corresponding TCI State. The UE can provide for transmission of a signal according to the at least one TCI State at a transmission power determined for the at least one TCI State using the path-loss information.

[0086] The bitmap of the at least one MAC CE can be associated with one or more of at least one active TCI State, at least one indicated TCI State, or at least one configured TCI State. The at least one MAC CE can include at least one of an indication of mapping of the path-loss information to one or more TCI States within the bitmap or the indication of the mapping can identify a reserved bit for indicating whether the at least one MAC CE includes the path-loss information field for the at least one TCI State. The at least one MAC CE caninclude an indication of a size of the bitmap and / or a number of octets occupied by the bitmap.

[0087] The at least one path-loss information field of an embodiment associated with at least one TCI State based, at least in part, on an association of the at least one path-loss information field to at least one path-loss configuration and association of the at least one TCI State to the at least one path-loss configuration. The at least one bit of the bitmap can indicate that the at least one MAC CE does not include a path-loss information field for a particular TCI State, such that the MAC CE may not include path-loss information for the particular TCI State.

[0088] Referring again to the different protocols for determining uplink power control as detailed above, the indicated or updated path-loss information corresponding to a TCI State may be used to determine or calculate the power for an uplink channel / signal, such as through PUSCH, PUCCH, SRS or physical random access channel (PRACH) transmission that is associated with the TCI State. The TCI State is applicable to this uplink transmission.

[0089] The node with which a UE device is to communicate employing the path-loss power determination may be indicated or identified by one or more of aCORESETPoolIndex, PCI (physical cell identifier), DL reference signal(s) (such as SSB, CSI-RS), UL reference signal resource(s) or resource set (such as SRS resource set), TRP ID, node ID, roaming exchange protocol (RxP) ID and / or RRH (remote radio head). This indicator can be provided, for example, in the MAC CE containing the path-loss information.

[0090] Figure 3 illustrates an example depiction of a MAC CE for communicating pathloss information using a bitmap as described herein. The illustration of Figure 3 is one embodiment of a MAC CE design / encoding for path-loss information indications or updates. In the illustrated example, each path-loss information field occupies six bits, or essentially requires one octet. The P; values of 1 or 0 indicate whether the MAC CE contains a path-loss information update / indication associated to or corresponding with the z'-th active TCI State which is associated with path-loss information. In the illustrated example, Po, P2, and P3 are set to 1, and Pi, P4, Pe, and P7 are set to 0. The P; of the MAC CE identifies which portion of the MAC CE has a value for path-loss information. Each column corresponds to at least one TCI State, and for each active TCI State there is a corresponding bit. The TCI State may not be associated with an item of provided path-loss information, in which case there is no need to update path-loss information for that TCI State. A value of P, = 0 in the illustrated embodiment indicates no path-loss information or updates for the corresponding TCI State. A particular instance of path-loss information can be associated with more than one TCI State,though a specific TCI State cannot be associated with multiple instances of path-loss information.

[0091] Figure 4 illustrates another embodiment of a MAC CE encoded to provide pathloss information to a UE device. In the illustrated example, each path-loss information field occupies four bits, such that two fields can fit in one octet. The P; of the MAC CE identifies which portion of the MAC CE has a value for path-loss information. In the illustrated example of Figure 4, Po and Pi are set to 1, and P2, P3, P4, P5, Pe, and P7 are set to 0. Since Po and Pi are set to 1, there is path-loss information in the MAC CE for the 0thand first TCI states, respectively, (e.g., path-loss info. 1 and path-loss info. 0).

[0092] An example embodiment described herein provides a UE device the capability of appropriately determining the uplink transmission power for a given node using an efficient design and encoding of a MAC CE for path-loss information corresponding to active / indicated / configured uplink / joint TCI States. This embodiment is beneficial for scenarios including uplink-only TRP (transmission-reception-point) or node, or any scenario in which path-loss information is needed.

[0093] Figure 5 is a flow chart illustrating the operations performed in order to provide for signaling path-loss information to a mobile device. The flow chart of Figure 5 illustrates the operations performed, such as by the apparatus of Figure 2 as embodied by a UE device, in order to support communication sessions with uplink-only nodes. In the example flow chart, a user device (e.g., UE, wireless device, etc.) includes means, such as the processing circuitry 22, the communication interface 26 or the like, to receive at 110, such as from a network, such as via a base station (e.g., network, gNB, etc.) at least one MAC CE including a bitmap, where at least one bit of the bitmap is indicative of whether the at least one MAC CE includes at least one path-loss information field associated with at least one TCI. In response to the at least one bit indicating that the at least one MAC CE includes the at least one path-loss information field, the apparatus of this example also includes means, such as the processing circuitry 22, the communication interface 26, and / or the like to determine path-loss information from the at least one MAC CE at 120. The apparatus of this example also includes means, such as the processing circuitry 22, to determine a transmission power corresponding to the at least one TCI State based, at least in part, on the path-loss information at 130.

[0094] Figure 5 illustrates a flowchart depicting a method according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. It will be understood that each block of the flowcharts and combination of blocks in the flowcharts may be implemented by various means, such ashardware, firmware, processor, circuitry, and / or other communication devices associated with execution of software including one or more computer program instructions. For example, one or more of the procedures described above may be embodied by computer program instructions. In this regard, the computer program instructions which embody the procedures described above may be stored by a memory device of an apparatus employing an embodiment of the present disclosure and executed by a processor. As will be appreciated, any such computer program instructions may be loaded onto a computer or other programmable apparatus (for example, hardware) to produce a machine, such that the resulting computer or other programmable apparatus implements the functions specified in the flowchart blocks. These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer- readable memory that may direct a computer or other programmable apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture the execution of which implements the function specified in the flowchart blocks. The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable apparatus to cause a series of operations to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide operations for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart blocks.

[0095] Accordingly, blocks of the flowcharts support combinations of means for performing the specified functions and combinations of operations for performing the specified functions for performing the specified functions. It will also be understood that one or more blocks of the flowcharts, and combinations of blocks in the flowcharts, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based computer systems which perform the specified functions, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

[0096] Many modifications and other embodiments set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

[0097] Moreover, although the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings describe certain example embodiments in the context of certain example combinations of elements and / or functions, it should be appreciated that different combinations of elements and / or functions may be provided by alternative embodiments without departing from thescope of the appended claims. In this regard, for example, different combinations of elements and / or functions than those explicitly described above are also contemplated as may be set forth in some of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims

THAT WHICH IS CLAIMED:

1. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receive at least one MAC (Medium Access Control) CE (Control Element) comprising a bitmap, wherein at least one bit of the bitmap is indicative of whether the at least one MAC CE comprises at least one path-loss information field associated with at least one TCI (Transmission Configuration Indicator) State; in response to the at least one bit indicating that the at least one MAC CE comprises the at least one path-loss information field, determine path-loss information from the at least one MAC CE; and determine a transmission power corresponding to the at least one TCI State based, at least in part, on the path-loss information.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the path-loss information comprises at least one of: at least one path-loss offset, at least one path-loss value, or at least one path-loss configuration.

3. The apparatus of any of claims 1-2, wherein one or more bits of the bitmap is associated with at least one of at least one active TCI State, at least one indicated TCI State, or at least one configured TCI State.

4. The apparatus of any of claims 1-3, wherein the at least one MAC CE further comprises at least one of an indication of mapping of the path-loss information to one or more TCI States within the bitmap, or the indication of the mapping comprises at least one reserved bit for indicating whether the at least one MAC CE comprises the path-loss information field for the at least one TCI State.

5. The apparatus of any of claims 1-4, wherein at least one of a least significant bit of the bitmap or a most significant bit of the bitmap is mapped to at least one of: at least one first indicated TCI State, first active TCI State, or first configured TCI State; orat least one first indicated TCI State, first active TCI State, or first configured TCI State associated with respective path-loss information.

6. The apparatus of any of claims 1-5, wherein a least significant bit or a most significant bit is mapped to at least one of an active TCI State with lowest identifier, an active TCI State with smallest identifier, an active TCI State with highest identifier.

7. The apparatus of any of claims 1-5 wherein at least one of a least significant bit of the bitmap or a most significant bit of the bitmap is mapped to at least one of: a path-loss offset or a path-loss configuration associated with the at least one active TCI State, the at least one indicated TCI State, or the at least one configured TCI State; or a path-loss offset or a path-loss configuration associated with a lowest TCI State ID (identifier) field; or a path-loss offset or a path-loss configuration associated with a lowest TCI State ID and associated with the at least one active TCI State, the at least one indicated TCI State, or the at least one configured TCI State.

8. The apparatus of any of claims 1-7, wherein the at least one MAC CE comprises at least one of an indication of a size of the bitmap or a number of octets occupied by the bitmap.

9. The apparatus of any of claims 1-8, wherein the at least one MAC CE comprises a first MAC CE comprising the bitmap, and wherein the at least one MAC CE comprises a second MAC CE comprising the at least one path-loss information field.

10. The apparatus of any of claims 1-9, wherein the at least one MAC CE comprises a first MAC CE comprising the bitmap, and wherein the first MAC CE comprises the at least one path-loss information field.

11. The apparatus of any of claims 1-10, wherein the at least one path-loss information field is associated with the at least one TCI State based, at least in part, on an association of the at least one path-loss information field to at least one path-loss configuration and association of the at least one TCI State to the at least one path-loss configuration.

12. The apparatus of any of claims 1-11, wherein in response to the at least one bit indicating that the at least one MAC CE comprises the at least one path-loss information field, the apparatus is caused to: determine that the at least one path-loss information field is associated with a TCI State having at least one of at least one path-loss offset, at least one path-loss value, or at least one path-loss configuration, wherein the path-loss information comprises an update to the at least one of the at least one path-loss offset, the at least one path-loss value, or the at least one path-loss configuration.

13. The apparatus of any of claims 1-12, wherein in response to the at least one bit of the bitmap indicating that the at least one MAC CE comprises the at least one path-loss information field associated with the at least one TCI State, the apparatus is caused to associate the path-loss information from the at least one MAC CE with the at least one TCI State.

14. A method comprising: receiving at least one MAC (Medium Access Control) CE (Control Element) comprising a bitmap, wherein at least one bit of the bitmap is indicative of whether the at least one MAC CE comprises at least one path-loss information field associated with at least one TCI (Transmission Configuration Indicator) State; in response to the at least one bit indicating that the at least one MAC CE comprises the at least one path-loss information field, determining path-loss information from the at least one MAC CE; and determining a transmission power corresponding to the at least one TCI State based, at least in part, on the path-loss information.

15. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: transmit, to a user equipment device, at least one MAC (Medium Access Control) CE (Control Element) comprising a bitmap, wherein at least one bit of the bitmap is indicative ofwhether the at least one MAC CE comprises at least one path-loss information field associated with at least one TCI (Transmission Configuration Indicator) State.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the path-loss information comprises at least one of: at least one path-loss offset, at least one path-loss value, or at least one path-loss configuration.

17. The apparatus of any of claims 15-16, wherein one or more bits of the bitmap is associated with at least one of at least one active TCI State, at least one indicated TCI State, or at least one configured TCI State.

18. The apparatus of any of claims 15-17, wherein the at least one MAC CE further comprises at least one of an indication of mapping of the path-loss information to one or more TCI States within the bitmap, or the indication of the mapping comprises at least one reserved bit for indicating whether the at least one MAC CE comprises the path-loss information field for the at least one TCI State.

19. The apparatus of any of claims 15-18, wherein at least one of a least significant bit of the bitmap or a most significant bit of the bitmap is mapped to at least one of: at least one first indicated TCI State, first active TCI State, or first configured TCI State; or at least one first indicated TCI State, first active TCI State, or first configured TCI State associated with respective path-loss information.

20. The apparatus of any of claims 15-19, wherein a least significant bit or a most significant bit is mapped to at least one of an active TCI State with lowest identifier, an active TCI State with smallest identifier, an active TCI State with highest identifier.

21. The apparatus of any of claims 15-19, wherein at least one of a least significant bit of the bitmap or a most significant bit of the bitmap is mapped to at least one of: a path-loss offset or a path-loss configuration associated with the at least one active TCI State, the at least one indicated TCI State, or the at least one configured TCI State; ora path-loss offset or a path-loss configuration associated with a lowest TCI State ID (identifier) field; or a path-loss offset or a path-loss configuration associated with a lowest TCI State ID and associated with the at least one active TCI State, the at least one indicated TCI State, or the at least one configured TCI State.

22. The apparatus of any of claims 15-21, wherein the at least one MAC CE comprises at least one of an indication of a size of the bitmap or a number of octets occupied by the bitmap.

23. The apparatus of any of claims 15-22, wherein the at least one MAC CE comprises a first MAC CE comprising the bitmap, and wherein the at least one MAC CE comprises a second MAC CE comprising the at least one path-loss information field.

24. The apparatus of any of claims 15-23, wherein the at least one MAC CE comprises a first MAC CE comprising the bitmap, and wherein the first MAC CE comprises the at least one path-loss information field.

25. The apparatus of any of claims 15-24, wherein the at least one path-loss information field is associated with the at least one TCI State based, at least in part, on an association of the at least one path-loss information field to at least one path-loss configuration and association of the at least one TCI State to the at least one path-loss configuration.

26. A method comprising: transmitting, to a user equipment device, at least one MAC (Medium Access Control) CE (Control Element) comprising a bitmap, wherein at least one bit of the bitmap is indicative of whether the at least one MAC CE comprises at least one path-loss information field associated with at least one TCI (Transmission Configuration Indicator) State.

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