User-equipment-initiated beam reporting

Abstract

A method and apparatus are disclosed for enabling and / or implementing user equipment (UE)-initiated beam management As described herein, an apparatus may obtain a plurality of threshold values for a condition associated with a trigger event type for UE-initiated beam reporting. The apparatus may perform beam measurements. The apparatus may determine that the beam measurements satisfy the condition for one or more threshold values of the plurality of threshold values. The apparatus may transmit, to a network device, an indication indicating for which threshold value of the plurality of threshold values the condition is satisfied.

Description

USER-EQUIPMENT-INITIATED BEAM REPORTINGTECHNOLOGICAL FIELD

[0001] An example embodiment relates generally to user equipment (UE)-initiated beam reporting.BACKGROUND

[0002] A unified transmission configuration indicator (TCI) framework related to beam management may comprise TCI states configured to allow a base station (e.g., or network device, gNB, NodeB, etc.) to indicate to a user equipment (UE) (e.g., or terminal device, etc.) which beam to use to communicate with the base station. For example, a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) and / or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) may be associated with a reference signal indicating which beam is to be used by the UE. UE-initiated beam reporting is a framework for enabling UEs to autonomously report LI measurement events associated with one or more beam signals to the network.BRIEF SUMMARY

[0003] An apparatus and method are disclosed for enabling and / or implementing user equipment (UE)-initiated beam management. As described herein, a UE may determine whether beam measurements satisfy conditions for various threshold values.

[0004] In an example embodiment, an apparatus is provided comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor cause the apparatus at least to perform: (i) obtaining a plurality of threshold values for a condition associated with a trigger event type for user equipment (UE)-initiated beam reporting; (ii) performing beam measurements; (iii) determining that the beam measurements satisfy the condition for one or more threshold values of the plurality of threshold values; and (iv) transmitting, to a network device, an indication indicating for which threshold value of the plurality of threshold values the condition is satisfied. In one example, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to perform transmitting, to the network device, a UE-initiated beam report associated with the trigger event type, and comprising one or more beam indexes of one or more respective beams satisfying the condition, and one or more measurement values for the one or more respective beams. In one example, the condition is a candidate beam that is measured to be better than a serving beam by agiven threshold. In one example, the condition is a serving beam that is measured to be lower than a given threshold value. In one example, the indication indicates the one or more threshold values for which the condition is satisfied. In one example, based on the condition being a candidate beam that is measured to be better than a serving beam by a given threshold value, the indication indicates a greatest threshold value of the one or more threshold values for which the condition is satisfied. In one example, based on the condition being a serving beam that is measured to be lower than a given threshold value, the indication indicates a lowest threshold value of the one or more threshold values for which the condition is satisfied. In one example, the plurality of threshold values is received from the network device as part of a UE-initiated beam reporting configuration. In one example, the indication comprises a single-bit indication or a multi -bit indication sent as part of Uplink Control Information (UCI). In one example, the indication is sent together with a scheduling request for scheduling uplink resources for transmission by the apparatus of a UE-initiated beam report associated with the trigger event type.

[0005] In an example embodiment, an apparatus is provided comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform: (i) transmitting, to a terminal device, a plurality of threshold values for a condition associated with a trigger event type for user equipment (UE)-initiated beam reporting; and (ii) receiving, from the terminal device, an indication for which threshold value of the plurality of threshold values the condition is satisfied. In one example, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to perform receiving, from the terminal device, a UE-initiated beam report associated with the trigger event type, and comprising: one or more beam indexes of one or more respective beams satisfying the condition, and one or more measurement values for the one or more respective beams. In one example, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to perform allocating, based on receiving the indication, uplink resources for the terminal device to transmit a UE-initiated beam report. In one example, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to perform, responsive to the received UE-initiated beam report, sending at least one beam switching command to the terminal device. In one example, the condition is a candidate beam that is measured to be better than a serving beam by a given threshold value. In one example, the condition is a serving beam that is measured to be lower than a given threshold value. In one example, the indication indicates one or more threshold values for which the condition is satisfied. In one example, based on the condition being a candidate beam that ismeasured to be better than a serving beam by a given threshold value, the indication indicates a greatest threshold value of one or more threshold values for which the condition is satisfied. In one example, based on the condition being a serving beam that is measured to be lower than a given threshold value, the indication indicates a lowest threshold value of one or more threshold values for which the condition is satisfied. In one example, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to perform prioritizing, based on receiving the indication, an allocation of uplink resources for transmission by the terminal device of a UE-initiated beam report associated with the trigger event type. In one example, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to perform configuring the terminal device with a plurality of threshold values. In one example, the indication comprises a single-bit indication or a multi -bit indication received as part of Uplink Control Information (UCI). In one example, the indication is received together with a scheduling request for scheduling at least one UL resource for transmission by the apparatus of a UE- initiated beam report associated with the trigger event type.

[0006] In an example embodiment, a method is provided comprising, by a terminal device: (i) obtaining a plurality of threshold values for a condition associated with a trigger event type for user equipment (UE)-initiated beam reporting; (ii) performing beam measurements; (iii) determining that the beam measurements satisfy the condition for one or more threshold values of the plurality of threshold values; and (iv) transmitting, to a network device, an indication for which threshold value of the plurality of threshold values the condition is satisfied. In one example, the method further comprises transmitting, to the network device, a UE-initiated beam report associated with the trigger event type, and comprising: one or more beam indexes of one or more respective beams satisfying the condition, and one or more measurement values for the one or more respective beams. In one example, the condition is a candidate beam that is measured to be better than a serving beam by a given threshold value. In one example, the condition is a serving beam that is measured to be lower than a given threshold value. In one example, the method further comprises indicating, by the indication, the one or more threshold values for which the condition is satisfied. In one example, the method further comprises indicating, by the indication and based on the condition being a candidate beam that is measured to be better than a serving beam by a given threshold value, a greatest threshold value of the one or more threshold values for which the condition is satisfied. In one example, the method further comprises indicating, by the indication and based on the condition being a serving beam that is measured to be lower than a given threshold value, a lowest threshold value of the one or more threshold values for which the condition is satisfied. In one example, the method furthercomprises receiving the plurality of threshold values from the network device as part of a UE- initiated beam reporting configuration. In one example, the indication comprises a single-bit indication or a multi -bit indication sent as part of Uplink Control Information (UCI). In one example, the method further comprises sending the indication together with a scheduling request for scheduling at least one uplink resource for transmission, by an apparatus implementing the method, of a UE-initiated beam report associated with the trigger event type.

[0007] In an example embodiment, a method is provided comprising, by a network device: (i) transmitting, to a terminal device, a plurality of threshold values for a condition associated with a trigger event type for user equipment (UE)-initiated beam reporting; and (ii) receiving, from the terminal device, an indication indicating for which threshold value of the plurality of threshold values the condition is satisfied. In one example, the method further comprises receiving, from the terminal device, a UE-initiated beam report associated with the trigger event type and comprising: one or more beam indexes of one or more respective beams satisfying the condition, and one or more measurement values for the one or more respective beams. In one example, the method further comprises allocating, based on receiving the indication, uplink resources for the terminal device to transmit a UE-initiated beam report. In one example, the method further comprises, responsive to the received UE-initiated beam report, sending at least one beam switching command to the terminal device. In one example, the condition is a candidate beam that is measured to be better than a serving beam by a given threshold value. In one example, the condition is a serving beam that is measured to be lower than a given threshold value. In one example, the method further comprises indicating, by the indication, one or more threshold values for which the condition is satisfied. In one example, the method further comprises indicating, by the indication and based on the condition being a candidate beam that is measured to be better than a serving beam by a given threshold value, a greatest threshold value of one or more threshold values for which the condition is satisfied. In one example, the method further comprises indicating, by the indication and based on the condition being a serving beam that is measured to be lower than a given threshold value, a lowest threshold value of one or more threshold values for which the condition is satisfied. In one example, the method further comprises prioritizing, based on receiving the indication, an allocation of uplink resources for transmission by the terminal device of a UE-initiated beam report associated with the trigger event type. In one example, the method further comprises configuring the terminal device with the plurality of threshold values. In one example, the indication comprises a single-bit indication or a multi -bit indication received as part of Uplink Control Information (UCI). In one example, the method further comprises receiving the indication together with a scheduling request forscheduling at least one uplink resource for transmission, by an apparatus implementing the method, of a UE-initiated beam report associated with the trigger event type.

[0008] In an example embodiment, an apparatus further comprises: (i) means for obtaining a plurality of threshold values for a condition associated with a trigger event type for user equipment (UE)-initiated beam reporting; (ii) means for performing beam measurements; (iii) means for determining that the beam measurements satisfy the condition for one or more threshold values of the plurality of threshold values; and (iv) means for transmitting, to a network device, an indication indicating for which threshold value of the plurality of threshold values the condition is satisfied. In one example, the apparatus further comprises means for transmitting, to the network device, a UE-initiated beam report associated with the trigger event type, and comprising: one or more beam indexes of one or more respective beams satisfying the condition, and one or more measurement values for the one or more respective beams. In one example, the condition is a candidate beam that is measured to be better than a serving beam by a give threshold value. In one example, the condition is a serving beam that is measured to be lower than a given threshold. In one example, the apparatus further comprises means for indicating, by the indication, the one or more threshold values for which the condition is satisfied. In one example, based on the condition being a candidate beam that is measured to be better than a serving beam by a given threshold value, the indication indicates a greatest threshold value of the one or more threshold values for which the condition is satisfied. In one example, based on the condition being a serving beam that is measured to be lower than a given threshold value, the indication indicates a lowest threshold value of the one or more threshold values for which the condition is satisfied. In one example, the apparatus further comprises means for receiving the plurality of threshold values from the network device as part of a UE- initiated beam reporting configuration. In one example, the indication comprises a single-bit indication or a multi -bit indication sent as part of Uplink Control Information (UCI). In one example, the apparatus further comprises means for sending the indication together with a scheduling request for scheduling at least one uplink resource for transmission by the apparatus of a UE-initiated beam report associated with the trigger event type.

[0009] In an example embodiment, an apparatus further comprises: (i) means for transmitting, to a terminal device, a plurality of threshold values for a condition associated with a trigger event type for user equipment (UE)-initiated beam reporting; and (ii) means for receiving, from the terminal device, an indication indicating for which threshold value of the plurality of threshold values the condition is satisfied. In one example, the apparatus further comprises means for receiving, from the terminal device, a UE-initiated beam report associated with thetrigger event type, and comprising: one or more beam indexes of one or more respective beams satisfying the condition, and one or more measurement values for the one or more respective beams. In one example, the apparatus further comprises means for allocating, based on receiving the indication, uplink resources for the terminal device to transmit a UE-initiated beam report. In one example, the apparatus further comprises means for, responsive to the received UE-initiated beam report, sending at least one beam switching command to the terminal device. In one example, the condition is a candidate beam that is measured to be better than a serving beam by a given threshold value. In one example, the condition is a serving beam that is measured to be lower than a given threshold value. In one example, the indication indicates one or more threshold values for which the condition is satisfied. In one example, based on the condition being a candidate beam that is measured to be better than a serving beam by a given threshold value, the indication indicates a greatest threshold value of one or more threshold values for which the condition is satisfied. In one example, based on the condition being a serving beam that is measured to be lower than a given threshold value, the indication indicates a lowest threshold value of one or more threshold values for which the condition is satisfied. In one example, the apparatus further comprises means for prioritizing, based on receiving the indication, an allocation of uplink resources for transmission by the terminal device of a UE- initiated beam report associated with the trigger event type. In one example, the apparatus further comprises means for configuring the terminal device with the plurality of threshold values. In one example, the indication comprises a single-bit indication or a multi-bit indication received as part of Uplink Control Information (UCI). In one example, the apparatus further comprises means for receiving the indication together with a scheduling request for scheduling at least one uplink resource for transmission by the apparatus of a UE-initiated beam report associated with the trigger event type.

[0010] In an example embodiment, a non-transitory computer readable storage medium is provided comprising computer instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus at least to perform: (i) obtaining a plurality of threshold values for a condition associated with a trigger event type for user equipment (UE)-initiated beam reporting; (ii) performing beam measurements; (iii) determining that the beam measurements satisfy the condition for one or more threshold values of the plurality of threshold values; and (iv) transmitting, to a network device, an indication indicating for which threshold value of the plurality of threshold values the condition is satisfied. In one example, the computer instructions, when executed by the apparatus, further cause the apparatus at least to perform transmitting, to the network device, a UE-initiated beam report associated with the trigger event type, andcomprising: one or more beam indexes of one or more respective beams satisfying the condition, and one or more measurement values for the one or more respective beams. In one example, the condition is a candidate beam that is measured to be better than a serving beam by a given threshold value. In one example, the condition is a serving beam that is measured to be lower than a given threshold value. In one example, the indication indicates the one or more threshold values for which the condition is satisfied. In one example, based on the condition being a candidate beam that is measured to be better than a serving beam by a given threshold value, the indication indicates a greatest threshold value of the one or more threshold values for which the condition is satisfied. In one example, based on the condition being a serving beam that is measured to be lower than a given threshold value, the indication indicates a lowest threshold value of the one or more threshold values for which the condition is satisfied. In one example, the plurality of threshold values is received from the network device as part of a UE-initiated beam reporting configuration. In one example, the indication comprises a single-bit indication or a multi -bit indication sent as part of Uplink Control Information (UCI). In one example, the computer instructions, when executed by the apparatus, further cause the apparatus at least to perform sending the indication together with a scheduling request for scheduling at least one uplink resource for transmission by the apparatus of a UE-initiated beam report associated with the trigger event type.

[0011] In an example embodiment, a non-transitory computer readable storage medium is provided comprising computer instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus at least to perform: (i) transmitting, to a terminal device, a plurality of threshold values for a condition associated with a trigger event type for user equipment (UE)-initiated beam reporting; and (ii) receiving, from the terminal device, an indication indicating for which threshold value of the plurality of threshold values the condition is satisfied. In one example, the computer instructions, when executed by the apparatus, further cause the apparatus at least to perform receiving, from the terminal device, a UE-initiated beam report associated with the trigger event type, and comprising: one or more beam indexes of one or more respective beams satisfying the condition, and one or more measurement values for the one or more respective beams. In one example, the computer instructions, when executed by the apparatus, further cause the apparatus at least to perform allocating, based on receiving the indication, uplink resources for the terminal device to transmit a UE-initiated beam report. In one example, the computer instructions, when executed by the apparatus, further cause the apparatus at least to perform, responsive to the received UE-initiated beam report, sending at least one beam switching command to the terminal device. In one example, the condition is a candidate beam that ismeasured to be better than a serving beam by a given threshold value. In one example, the condition is a serving beam that is measured to be lower than a given threshold value. In one example, the indication indicates one or more threshold values for which the condition is satisfied. In one example, based on the condition being a candidate beam that is measured to be better than a serving beam by a given threshold value, the indication indicates a greatest threshold value of one or more threshold values for which the condition is satisfied. In one example, based on the condition being a serving beam that is measured to be lower than a given threshold value, the indication indicates a lowest threshold value of one or more threshold values for which the condition is satisfied. In one example, the computer instructions, when executed by the apparatus, further cause the apparatus at least to perform prioritizing, based on receiving the indication, an allocation of uplink resources for transmission by the terminal device of a UE- initiated beam report associated with the trigger event type. In one example, the computer instructions, when executed by the apparatus, further cause the apparatus at least to perform configuring the terminal device with the plurality of threshold values. In one example, the indication comprises a single-bit indication or a multi -bit indication received as part of Uplink Control Information (UCI). In one example, the computer instructions, when executed by the apparatus, further cause the apparatus at least to perform receiving the indication together with a scheduling request for scheduling at least one uplink resource for transmission by the apparatus of a UE-initiated beam report associated with the trigger event type.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] 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:

[0013] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example communication system;

[0014] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an apparatus that may be specifically configured in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0015] FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram illustrating operations performed in an example having two UEs configured with Event-2 Mode A;

[0016] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram illustrating operations performed in an example having two UEs configured with Event- 1 Mode A;

[0017] FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram illustrating operations performed in an example having two UEs configured with both Event- 1 and Event-2 Mode A;

[0018] FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating the operations performed, such as by the apparatus of FIG. 2, to implement UE-initiated beam management; and

[0019] FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating the operations performed, such as by the apparatus of FIG. 2, to implement UE-initiated beam management, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] 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.

[0021] 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, other network device (such as a core network apparatus), field programmable gate array, and / or other computing device.

[0022] One example of a communications system 100 in which an example embodiment may be deployed is depicted in FIG. 1. The system of FIG. 1 may be utilized for a variety ofapplications. For example, a communications system 100 may include at least one core network 105, at least one base station 110 (e.g., gNB, eNB, NodeB, etc.), and / or at least one user device (e.g., user equipment (UE), wireless device, user terminal, terminal device, etc.), such as the user device 115 and / or the user device 120.

[0023] In FIG. 1, user devices 115 and 120 are configured to be in a wireless connection on one or more communication channels in a cell with an access node 110 providing the cell, such as a gNB which is used hereinafter by way of example to represent an access node. The physical link from a user device to an access node is called the uplink or reverse link and the physical link from the access node to the user device is called the downlink or forward link. It should be appreciated that the access node or their functionalities may be implemented by using any node, host, server, base station, network device, access point (AP), and / or other entity suitable for such a usage.

[0024] A communications system typically comprises more than one access node, in which case the access nodes 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 access node is a computing device configured to control resources of the communication system to which the access node is coupled. The access node 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.

[0025] The user device illustrates one type of an apparatus 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 FIG. 2.

[0026] The user device typically refers to a portable computing device that includes wireless mobile communication devices operating with or without a subscriber identification module (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 of user equipment functionalities. The user device may also be called a subscriber unit, mobile station, remoteterminal, access terminal, user terminal, terminal device, and / or user equipment (UE), just to mention but a few names or apparatuses.

[0027] 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. A 5G system enables using multiple input - multiple output (MIMO) antennas, many more base stations or nodes than a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system (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. A 5G system may have various radio interfaces, namely below 6GHz, cmWave and mmWave, and also being integratable with existing legacy radio access technologies, such as LTE. Integration with an LTE system may be implemented, at least in the early phase, as a system, where macro coverage is provided by an LTE system and 5G radio interface access comes from small cells by aggregation to the LTE system. In other words, a 5G system is planned to support both interradio access technology (RAT) operability (such as LTE-5G) and inter-RI operability (interradio 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.

[0028] 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 a 5G system require bringing the content close to the radio which leads to local break out and multi-access edge computing (MEC). A 5G system 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 networkingand 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).

[0029] The communication system 100 is also able to communicate with other networks, such as a public switched telephone network or the Internet, or utilize services provided by them. The communication network 100 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 a like, providing facilities for networks of different operators to cooperate for example in spectrum sharing.

[0030] 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).

[0031] 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-IP, which may change the way networks are being constructed and managed. 5G (or new radio, NR) networks are being designed to support multiple hierarchies, where MEC servers can be placed between the core and the base station (e.g., gNB). It should be appreciated that MEC can be applied in 4G networks as well.

[0032] 5G systems may also utilize satellite communication to enhance or complement the coverage of 5G service, for example by providing backhauling. Possible use cases are providing service continuity for machine-to-machine (M2M) or Internet of Things (loT) devices or for passengers on board vehicles, or ensuring 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 networkentities 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.

[0033] The depicted system is only an example of a part of a radio access system in which the system 100 of FIG. 1 may be deployed, and in practice, the system may comprise a plurality of access nodes, 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 access nodes 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 access nodes of FIG. 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 access nodes are required to provide such a network structure.

[0034] For fulfilling the need for improving the deployment and performance of communication systems, the concept of “plug-and-play” access nodes has been introduced. Typically, a network which is able to use “plug-and-play” access nodes, includes, in addition to Home NodeBs (HnodeBs), 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 HNB s back to a core network. Although FIG. 1 depicts one example communication system in which system 100 of an example embodiment may be deployed, the system of other example embodiments may be deployed in other types of systems, be they to support communications or otherwise.

[0035] One example of an apparatus 200 that may be configured to function as base station 110, and / or user devices 115 and / or 120 is depicted in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the apparatus includes, is associated with or is in communication with a processor 205, a memory 210, and a communication interface 215. The processor 205 may be in communication with the memory device (e.g., the memory 210) 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 processor). The memory device may be configured to store information, data, content, applications, instructions, or the like for enabling the apparatus to carry out variousfunctions 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 processor. Additionally or alternatively, the memory device could be configured to store instructions for execution by the processor.

[0036] FIG. 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 FIG. 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 FIG. 2.

[0037] The apparatus 200 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.

[0038] The processor 205 may be embodied in a number of different ways. For example, the processor 205 may be implemented by processing circuitry. For example, the processor 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 special-purpose computer chip, or the like. As such, in some embodiments, the processor 205 may include one or more processing cores configured to perform independently. A multi-core processor may enable multiprocessing within a single physical package. Additionally or alternatively, the processor may include one or more processors configured in tandem via the bus to enable independent execution of instructions, pipelining and / or multithreading.

[0039] In an example embodiment, the processor 205 may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory 210 or otherwise accessible to the processor. Alternatively or additionally, the processor 205 may be configured to execute hard coded functionality. Assuch, whether configured by hardware or software methods, or by a combination thereof, the processor 205 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 processor 205 is embodied as an ASIC, FPGA, and / or the like, the processor 205 may be specifically configured hardware for conducting the operations described herein. Alternatively or additionally, as another example, when the processor 205 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 processor 205 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 processor 205 by instructions for performing the algorithms and / or operations described herein. The processor 205 may include, among other things, a clock, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), and / or logic gates configured to support operation of the processor.

[0040] The communication interface 215 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, one or 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.

[0041] In at least some technologies, various beam management procedures may be controlled by a network device. For example, various beam management procedures may be supported within one or more transmission and reception points (TRPs) of a single serving cell. In a first example procedure, user equipment (UE) measurement may be enabled on various TRP transmission (Tx) beams to support selection of one or more TRP Tx beams and / or one or more UE reception (Rx) beams. In the first example procedure, for beamforming at the TRP, an intra- TRP Tx beam sweep and / or an inter-TRP Tx beam sweep may be implemented for a set ofdifferent beams. In the first example procedure, for beamforming at the UE, a UE Rx beam sweep may be implemented for a set of different beams. In the first example procedure, the UE may scan its antennae and / or panels sequentially for respective synchronization signal (SS) bursts and / or average over a quantity of SS burst samples. In a second example procedure, UE measurement may be enabled on various TRP Tx beams to change one or more inter-TRP Tx beams and / or one or more intra-TRP Tx beams. In the second example procedure, the TRP Tx and / or UE Rx beam sweeps may be performed for a subset of the sets of different beams of the first example procedure. In the second example procedure, channel state information (CSI) beams may be used. The second example procedure may be an implementation of the first example procedure. In a third example procedure, UE measurement may be enabled on a same TRP Tx beam to change a UE Rx beam, for example, if the UE uses beamforming (e.g., via mmWave arrays on UEs for frequency range 2 (FR2) operation). In some examples, CSI reporting may be implemented as periodic, semi-persistent, and / or aperiodic CSI reporting. In some examples, a type of reference signal to be transmitted may be configured by the network device. In some examples, the network device may configure one or more types of transmission (e.g., period, semi-persistent, aperiodic, etc.).

[0042] In at least some technologies, a unified transmission configuration indicator (TCI) framework may indicate that TCI states providing quasi co-location (QCL) assumptions for reception of downlink (DL) signals and / or channels may be used to further provide spatial sources for transmission of uplink (UL) signals and / or channels (e.g., to determine a UL Tx spatial filter). The unified TCI framework may define indicated TCI states, meaning one or more configured TCI states may be indicated TCI states at one time. For example, an indicated TCI state may be a joint DL and UL TCI state and / or separate DL and separate UL TCI states. In at least some technologies, the unified TCI framework may include a joint DL and UL TCI state for a UE and / or one indicated DL TCI state and one indicated UL TCI state for the UE. In at least some technologies, the unified TCI framework may include two indicated joint TCI states for a UE and / or two indicated DL TCI states and two indicated UL TCI states for the UE.

[0043] A UE may benefit from initiating beam management, for example, to facilitate beam switching. UE-initiated beam management may comprise at least one UE-initiated TCI state, UE-initiated beam reporting, and / or UE-initiated beam switching. Such UE-initiated beam management (UEIBM) may rely on the UE being configured with at least one event and / or condition, wherein the UE may initiate the beam management based on the at least one event and / or condition occurring and / or being satisfied.

[0044] In some examples, various types of events (e.g., trigger events) and / or conditions may trigger UEIBM. For example, such an event type may be referred to as “Event- 1”. The Event- 1 condition may occur and / or be met if quality of a current (e.g., serving) beam is worse than a predetermined threshold value. Another such event type may be referred to as “Event-7a”. The Event-7a condition may occur and / or be met if quality of at least one new beam (e.g., such as Layer 1 Reference Signal Receiver Power (Ll-RSRP)) becomes a threshold value better than a reference signal (RS) derived from an activated TCI state with a worst quality. Another such event type may be referred to as “Event-7b”. The Event-7b condition may occur and / or be met if quality of at least one new beam (e.g., such as Ll-RSRP) becomes a threshold value better than an RS derived from an activated TCI state with a best quality. Another such event type may be referred to as “Event-2”. The Event-2 condition may occur and or be met if quality of at least one new beam (e.g., such as Ll-RSRP) becomes a threshold value better than a current (e.g., serving) beam. For example, a network device may configure a terminal device (e.g., a UE) with a predetermined threshold (e.g., 6 dB); if the UE measures a new beam to have an Ll-RSRP which is 6 dB or more better than an Ll-RSRP of a current (e.g., serving) beam, a UEIBM report may be triggered.

[0045] In some examples, there may be various options for content of a UL signal of a UEIBM report that is transmitted responsive to an Event-2 condition (e.g., and based on Ll- RSRP being a quality metric) occurring and / or being met or exceeded. For example, such an option may be referred to as “Option-1”. Option- 1 may allow for variable size of the UEIBM report. In Option-1, N beams may be reported in a report instance, where N G {1,2, ... , Nmax], In Option- 1, the N beams may satisfy the Event-2 condition. In Option-1, Nmaxmay be configured by a network device (e.g., base station, gNB, etc.). In Option-1, an indication of payload size may be included in the UEIBM report. Another such option may be referred to as “Option- la”. Option- la may allow for variable size of the UEIBM report. In Option- la, N beams may be reported in a report instance, where N G {1,2, ... , Nmax], In Option- la, at least one of the N reported beams may satisfy the Event-2 condition. In Option-la, Nmaxmay be configured by a network device (e.g., base station, gNB, etc.). In Option-la, an indication of payload size may be included in the UEIBM report. In Option- la, information indicating how N is determined by a terminal device (e.g., UE) may be included in the UEIBM report. Another such option may be referred to as “Option-lb”. In Option-lb, N beams may be reported in a report instance, where N G {1,2, ... , Nmax], In Option-lb, the N beams may satisfy the Event-2 condition. In Option-lb, Nmaxmay be configured by a network device (e.g., base station, gNB, etc.). In Option-lb, payload size may not vary as a function of N. In Option-lb, zero-paddingmay be provided if TV < Nmax. Another such option may be referred to as “Option-2”. In Option-2, N = 1 beam may be reported in a report instance. In Option-2, the reported beam may satisfy the Event-2 condition. Another such option may be referred to as “Option-3”. In Option-3, N > 1 beams may be reported in a report instance. In Option-3, at least one of the N reported beams may satisfy the Event-2 condition. In Option-3, N may be configured by a network device (e.g., base station, gNB, etc.). In Option-3, radio resource control (RRC) may be configured to enable or disable whether a current (e.g., serving) beam is always reported in addition to the N beams. Other options having other parameters may be configured for content of the UEIBM report that is transmitted responsive to the Event-2 condition occurring and / or being met or exceeded. In some examples, measurement results for a current (e.g., serving) beam may be reported in all, some, or one instance and / or may be enabled by RRC. In some examples, based on a current (e.g., serving) beam being reported, the current beam may be counted as one of the N reported beams. Any one or more of the options described herein may satisfy the Event-2 condition.

[0046] Advantages of some of these options include, in some examples, Option- 1 allowing increased flexibility by allowing the quantity of beams being reported for each occasion of an event being triggered to be adapted. For example, an event may occur that relies on a UE reporting back three beams, and another event may occur that relies on the UE reporting back one beam. For such an example, Option-1 and / or Option-la may be applicable. Option-1 and Option- la allow for variable sizes of UEIBM reports, which may allow for allocating various amounts of resources for sending back the reports. Additionally or alternatively, the described options may be applicable for reporting other event types, such as Event-1, Event-7a, Event-7b, etc.

[0047] In some examples, there may be various procedures for sending back reports from a terminal device to a network device. For example, such a procedure may be referred to as “Mode A”. In Mode A, a second UL channel may be dynamically scheduled by a network device for a UEIBM report. Mode A may comprise various steps, including at least one of: (i) transmitting, by a terminal device (e.g., UE), via a first physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) a UL indication to request from a network device (e.g., base station, gNB, etc.) resources via a second UL channel for carrying a UEIBM report; (ii) receiving, by the terminal device and from the network device, an indication (e.g., via downlink control information (DCI)) of the resources via the second UL channel for carrying the UEIBM report; and / or (iii) transmitting, by the terminal device, the UEIBM report via the second UL channel. Another such procedure may be referred to as “Mode B”. In Mode B, a second UL channel for a UEIBM report may be pre-configured bya network device. Mode B may comprise various steps, including at least one of: (i) transmitting, by a terminal device (e.g., UE), via a first PUCCH a UL indication to notify a network device (e.g., base station, gNB, etc.) that a UEIBM report is configured to be transmitted via a second UL channel; and / or (ii) transmitting, by the terminal device, the UEIBM report via the second UL channel. In some examples, a UL indication in a first PUCCH may be a one-bit indication configured such that a terminal device may indicate to a network device that an event has been triggered and / or a condition has been met (and / or exceeded, etc.). In some examples, a UL indication in a first PUCCH may be a multi-bit indication configured such that a terminal device may indicate to a network device which event (or event type) has been triggered.

[0048] Referring now to FIG. 3, a sequence diagram illustrating operations performed in an example having two UEs (e.g., terminal devices, etc.) configured with Event-2 Mode A is provided. The example of FIG. 3 shows a sequence diagram 300. The sequence diagram 300 includes logical actors terminal device “UE 1” 305, terminal device “UE 2” 310, and network device “gNB” 315.

[0049] At 320, UE 1 and / or UE 2 may be configured with Event-2 Mode A for UEIBM. At 325, UE 1 and / or UE 2 may be configured with a sub-pool of threshold values, wherein, for example, the sub-pool comprises two threshold values {3, 20} dB for the Event-2 condition. The sub-pool may comprise more than two threshold values for the Event-2 condition, such as three or four different threshold values (and / or other amounts of threshold values), for example {3, 10, 20} dB or {3, 6, 10, 20} dB. The more thresholds, the more accurate the criticality of the indication, the more signaling overhead for sending the indication.

[0050] At 330, DL and / or UL Tx may be transmitted between UE 1 and the gNB. In some examples, UE 1 may transmit UL Tx to the gNB. In such examples, the gNB may receive the UL Tx from UE 1. In some examples, the gNB may transmit DL Tx to UE 1. In such examples, UE1 may receive the DL Tx from the gNB.

[0051] At 335, DL and / or UL Tx may be transmitted between UE 2 and the gNB. In some examples, UE 2 may transmit UL Tx to the gNB. In such examples, the gNB may receive the UL Tx from UE 2. In some examples, the gNB may transmit DL Tx to UE 2. In such examples, UE2 may receive the DL Tx from the gNB.

[0052] At 340, UE 1 may determine that Event-2 has been triggered with a new beam RSRP 4 dB better than a current (e.g., serving) beam RSRP. At 345, UE 1 may transmit, to the gNB and via a single-bit and / or a multi-bit PUCCH on a first UL channel, an indication indicating that the 3 dB threshold has been met. The indication may be sent together with a scheduling request for scheduling uplink resources for transmission of a UEIBM report by UE 1. In some examples,the indication may be a single-bit indication, wherein a bit value of “0” may indicate that the 3 dB threshold value has been met, and a bit value of “1” may indicate that the 20 dB threshold value has been met (or vice versa). In some examples, the indication may be a multi-bit indication comprising x bits (corresponding to x threshold values). At least one of the bits (e.g., each bit) may indicate whether its associated threshold has or has not been met. For example, a bit value of “0” may indicate that a respective threshold value has not been met, and a bit value of “1” may indicate that the respective threshold value has been met (or vice versa). In some examples, there may be, for example, two bits and four thresholds; the bits may be configured to indicate whether and / or which of the four thresholds have been met or not met. This may be generalized to examples with x bits and 2Xthreshold values.

[0053] At 350, UE 2 may determine that Event-2 has been triggered with a new beam RSRP 25 dB better than a current (e.g., serving) beam RSRP. At 355, UE 2 may transmit, to the gNB and via a single-bit and / or a multi-bit PUCCH on a first UL channel, an indication indicating that the 20 dB threshold has been met (meaning the greatest threshold value of the one or more threshold values for which the condition for Event-2 is satisfied), or that both the 20 dB and 3 dB thresholds have been met. The indication may be sent together with a scheduling request for scheduling uplink resource for transmission of a UEIBM report by UE 2.

[0054] At 360, the gNB may assess that conditions for UE 2 are more critical than conditions for UE 1. At 365, based on the assessment that conditions for UE 2 are more critical than conditions for UE 1, the gNB may determine allocation of resources for UE 2 and / or UE 1 UEIBM reports. For example, the gNB may determine to allocate resources for the UEIBM report from UE 2 prior to allocating resources for the UEIBM report from UE 1 based on the conditions for UE 2 being more critical than the conditions for UE 1. In some examples, the gNB may determine to schedule resources for UE 1 and UE 2 simultaneously (e.g., via frequency division multiplexing). In some examples, such as when the conditions for UE 2 are more critical than the conditions for UE 1, the gNB may determine to not schedule any resources for UE 1 while scheduling UE 2 so as to reserve the full bandwidth for UE 2.

[0055] At 370, the gNB may indicate to UE 2 which resources have been allocated for the UE 2 UEIBM report. At 375, UE 2 may transmit, to the gNB, the UEIBM report on a second UL channel. Responsive to receipt of the UEIBM report from UE 2, the gNB may transmit a beam switching command to UE 2, for example, by indicating (e.g., via DCI) a new DL TCI state, a new UL TCI state, and / or a new joint DL / UL TCI state.

[0056] At 380, the gNB may indicate to UE 1 which resources have been allocated for the UE 1 UEIBM report. At 385, UE 1 may transmit, to the gNB, the UEIBM report on the secondUL channel. Responsive to receipt of the UEIBM report from UE 1, the gNB may transmit a beam switching command to UE 1, for example, by indicating (e.g., via DCI) a new DL TCI state, a new UL TCI state, and / or a new joint DL / UL TCI state.

[0057] Referring now to FIG. 4, a sequence diagram illustrating operations performed in an example having two UEs (e.g., terminal devices, etc.) configured with Event-1 Mode A is provided. The example of FIG. 4 shows a sequence diagram 400. The sequence diagram 400 includes logical actors terminal device “UE 1” 405, terminal device “UE 2” 410, and network device “gNB” 415.

[0058] At 420, UE 1 and / or UE 2 may be configured with Event-1 Mode A for UEIBM. At 425, UE 1 and / or UE 2 may be configured with a sub-pool of threshold values, wherein, for example, the sub-pool comprises two threshold values {-70, -100} dBm for the Event-1 condition. The sub-pool may comprise more than two threshold values for the Event-1 condition, such as three or four different threshold values (and / or other amounts of threshold values), for example {-70, -90, -100} dBm or {-70, -80, -90, -100} dBm. The more thresholds, the more accurate the criticality of the indication, the more signaling overhead for sending the indication.

[0059] At 430, DL and / or UL Tx may be transmitted between UE 1 and the gNB. In some examples, UE 1 may transmit UL Tx to the gNB. In such examples, the gNB may receive the UL Tx from UE 1. In some examples, the gNB may transmit DL Tx to UE 1. In such examples, UE1 may receive the DL Tx from the gNB.

[0060] At 435, DL and / or UL Tx may be transmitted between UE 2 and the gNB. In some examples, UE 2 may transmit UL Tx to the gNB. In such examples, the gNB may receive the UL Tx from UE 2. In some examples, the gNB may transmit DL Tx to UE 2. In such examples, UE2 may receive the DL Tx from the gNB.

[0061] At 440, UE 1 may determine that Event-1 has been triggered with a current (e.g., serving) beam RSRP of -75 dBm. At 445, UE 1 may transmit, to the gNB and via a single-bit and / or a multi-bit PUCCH on a first UL channel, an indication indicating that -70 dBm threshold has been met. The indication may be sent together with a scheduling request for scheduling uplink resource for transmission of a UEIBM report by UE 1. In some examples, the indication may be a single-bit indication, wherein a bit value of “0” may indicate that the -70 dBm threshold value has been met, and a bit value of “1” may indicate that the -100 dBm threshold value has been met (or vice versa). In some examples, the indication may be a multi-bit indication comprising x bits (corresponding to x threshold values). At least one of the bits (e.g., each bit) may indicate whether its associated threshold has or has not been met. For example, a bit value of “0” may indicate that a respective threshold value has not been met, and abit value of “1” may indicate that the respective threshold value has been met (or vice versa). In some examples, there may be, for example, two bits and four thresholds; the bits may be configured to indicate whether and / or which of the four thresholds have been met or not met. This may be generalized to examples with x bits and 2Xthreshold values.

[0062] At 450, UE 2 may determine that Event-1 has been triggered with a current (e.g., serving) beam RSRP of -102 dBm. At 455, UE 2 may transmit, to the gNB and via a multi-bit PUCCH on a first UL channel, an indication indicating that the -100 dBm threshold has been met(meaning the lowest threshold value of the one or more threshold values for which the condition for Event-1 is satisfied), or that both the -100 dBm and -70 dBm thresholds have been met. The indication may be sent together with a scheduling request for scheduling uplink resource for transmission of a UEIBM report by UE 2.

[0063] At 460, the gNB may assess that conditions for UE 2 are more critical than conditions for UE 1. At 465, based on the assessment that conditions for UE 2 are more critical than conditions for UE 1, the gNB may determine allocation of resources for UE 2 and / or UE 1 UEIBM reports. For example, the gNB may determine to allocate resources for the UEIBM report from UE 2 prior to allocating resources for the UEIBM report from UE 1 based on the conditions for UE 2 being more critical than the conditions for UE 1. In some examples, the gNB may determine to schedule resources for UE 1 and UE 2 simultaneously (e.g., via frequency division multiplexing ). In some examples, such as when the conditions for UE 2 are more critical than the conditions for UE 1, the gNB may determine to not schedule any resources for UE 1 while scheduling UE 2 so as to reserve the full bandwidth for UE 2.

[0064] At 470, the gNB may indicate to UE 2 which resources have been allocated for the UE 2 UEIBM report. At 475, UE 2 may transmit, to the gNB, the UEIBM report on a second UL channel. Responsive to receipt of the UEIBM report from UE 2, the gNB may transmit a beam switching command to UE 2, for example, by indicating (e.g., via DCI) a new DL TCI state, a new UL TCI state, and / or a new joint DL / UL TCI state.

[0065] At 480, the gNB may indicate to UE 1 which resources have been allocated for the UE 1 UEIBM report. At 485, UE 1 may transmit, to the gNB, the UEIBM report on the second UL channel. Responsive to receipt of the UEIBM report from UE 1, the gNB may transmit a beam switching command to UE 1, for example, by indicating (e.g., via DCI) a new DL TCI state, a new UL TCI state, and / or a new joint DL / UL TCI state.

[0066] Referring now to FIG. 5, a sequence diagram illustrating operations performed in an example having two UEs (e.g., terminal devices, etc.) configured with both Event-1 and Event-2 Mode A is provided. The example of FIG. 5 shows a sequence diagram 500. The sequencediagram 500 includes logical actors terminal device “UE 1” 505, terminal device “UE 2” 510, and network device “gNB” 515.

[0067] At 520, UE 1 and / or UE 2 may be configured with Event-1 Mode A and / or Event-2 Mode A for UEIBM. At 525, UE 1 and / or UE 2 may be configured with a first sub-pool of threshold values and a second sub-pool of threshold values. The first sub-pool may, for example, comprise two thresholds {-70, -100} dBm for Event-1. The second sub-pool may, for example, comprise two thresholds {3, 20} for Event-2. In some examples, UE 1 and / or UE 2 may be configured with further event types.

[0068] At 530, DL and / or UL Tx may be transmitted between UE 1 and the gNB. In some examples, UE 1 may transmit UL Tx to the gNB. In such examples, the gNB may receive the UL Tx from UE 1. In some examples, the gNB may transmit DL Tx to UE 1. In such examples, UE1 may receive the DL Tx from the gNB.

[0069] At 535, DL and / or UL Tx may be transmitted between UE 2 and the gNB. In some examples, UE 2 may transmit UL Tx to the gNB. In such examples, the gNB may receive the UL Tx from UE 2. In some examples, the gNB may transmit DL Tx to UE 2. In such examples, UE2 may receive the DL Tx from the gNB.

[0070] At 540, UE 1 may determine that Event-2 has been triggered with a new beam RSRP 4 dB better than a current (e.g., serving) beam RSRP. At 545, UE 1 may transmit, to the gNB and via a single-bit and / or a multi-bit PUCCH on a first UL channel, an indication indicating that Event-2 has been triggered by a 3 dB threshold. In some examples, at 545, UE 1 may transmit, to the gNB and via the multi-bit PUCCH on the first UL channel, an indication indicating that only Event-2 was triggered by the 3 dB threshold. In some examples, the indication may be configured to indicate a plurality of events having a plurality of thresholds. For example, the indication may indicate two events, each associated with two threshold values. In some examples, the multi-bit indication may comprise six bits, wherein the first bit and the second bit are associated with a first event and a second event, respectively, and wherein the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth bits are associated with a first threshold of the first event, a second threshold of the first event, a first threshold of the second event, and a second threshold of the second event, respectively. In some examples, the multi-bit indication may comprise four bits, wherein the first bit and the second bit are associated with a first event and a second event respectively, and wherein the third bit is associated with a threshold index of the first event (e.g., a bit value of “0” to indicate a first threshold value and a bit value of “1” to indicate a second threshold value, or vice-versa), and the fourth bit is associated with a threshold index of the second event (e.g., a bitvalue of “0” to indicate a first threshold value and a bit value of “1” to indicate a second threshold value, or vice-versa).

[0071] At 550, UE 2 may determine that Event-1 has been triggered with a current (e.g., serving) beam RSRP pf -102 dBm. At 555, UE 2 may transmit, to the gNB and via a multi-bit PUCCH on a first UL channel, an indication indicating that Event- 1 has been triggered by a -100 dBm threshold. In some examples, at 555, UE 2 may transmit, to the gNB and via the multi-bit PUCCH on the first UL channel, an indication indicating that only Event- 1 was triggered by the - 100 dBm threshold.

[0072] At 560, the gNB may assess that conditions for UE 2 are more critical than conditions for UE 1. At 565, based on the assessment that conditions for UE 2 are more critical than conditions for UE 1, the gNB may determine allocation of resources for UE 2 and / or UE 1 UEIBM reports.

[0073] At 570, the gNB may indicate to UE 2 which resources have been allocated for the UE 2 UEIBM report. At 575, UE 2 may transmit, to the gNB, the UEIBM report on a second UL channel. Responsive to receipt of the UEIBM report from UE 2, the gNB may transmit a beam switching command to UE 2, for example, by indicating (e.g., via DCI) a new DL TCI state, a new UL TCI state, and / or a new joint DL / UL TCI state.

[0074] At 580, the gNB may indicate to UE 1 which resources have been allocated for the UE 1 UEIBM report. At 585, UE 1 may transmit, to the gNB, the UEIBM report on the second UL channel. Responsive to receipt of the UEIBM report from UE 1, the gNB may transmit a beam switching command to UE 1, for example, by indicating (e.g., via DCI) a new DL TCI state, a new UL TCI state, and / or a new joint DL / UL TCI state.

[0075] FIGS. 6-7 are flow charts illustrating the operations performed to configure, implement, and / or make use of UE-initiated beam management.

[0076] Referring now to FIG. 6, a flow chart 600 illustrating the operations performed, such as by the apparatus of FIG. 2, to implement UEIBM is provided.

[0077] As shown in block 605, a terminal device (e.g., UE) may obtain a plurality of threshold values for a condition associated with a trigger event type for UE-initiated beam reporting.

[0078] As shown in block 610, the terminal device may perform beam measurements.

[0079] As shown in block 615, the terminal device may determine that the beam measurements satisfy the condition for one or more threshold values of the plurality of threshold values.

[0080] As shown in block 620, the terminal device may transmit, to a network device, an indication indicating for which threshold value of the plurality of threshold values the condition is satisfied.

[0081] The apparatus of the example of FIG. 6 (e.g., the terminal device) may include means, such as the processor 205 and / or the like, for implementing the steps of blocks 605-620. The UEIBM configuration and / or implementation of the example of FIG. 6 may be as described with respect to FIGS. 3-5 and / or any other examples described herein.

[0082] Referring now to FIG. 7, a flow chart 700 illustrating the operations performed, such as by the apparatus of FIG. 2, to implement UEIBM is provided.

[0083] As shown in block 705, a network device (e.g., base station, gNB, etc.) may transmit, to a terminal device, a plurality of threshold values for a condition associated with a trigger event type for UE-initiated beam reporting.

[0084] As shown in block 710, the network device may receive, from the terminal device, an indication indicating for which threshold value of the plurality of threshold values the condition is satisfied.

[0085] The apparatus of the example of FIG. 7 (e.g., the network device) may include means, such as the processor 205 and / or the like, for implementing the steps of blocks 705-710. The UEIBM configuration and / or implementation of the example of FIG. 7 may be as described with respect to FIGS. 305 and / or any other examples described herein.

[0086] As described above, a method and apparatus are disclosed for enabling and / or implementing UE-initiated beam management, for example, where the apparatus may be the device 200 and the method may be any one of the sequences of FIGS. 3-5 and / or the methods of FIGS. 6-7.

[0087] Figures 6-7 illustrate flowcharts depicting methods 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 as hardware, 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 programmableapparatus 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.

[0088] 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.

[0089] 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.

[0090] 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 the scope 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 at least to perform: obtaining a plurality of threshold values for a condition associated with a trigger event type for user equipment, UE-initiated beam reporting; performing beam measurements; determining that the beam measurements satisfy the condition for one or more threshold values of the plurality of threshold values; and transmitting, to a network device, an indication indicating for which threshold value of the plurality of threshold values the condition is satisfied.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to perform: transmitting, to the network device, a UE-initiated beam report associated with the trigger event type, and comprising: one or more beam indexes of one or more respective beams satisfying the condition, and one or more measurement values for the one or more respective beams.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the condition is a candidate beam that is measured to be better than a serving beam by a given threshold value.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the condition is a serving beam that is measured to be lower than a given threshold value.

5. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the indication indicates the one or more threshold values for which the condition is satisfied.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the indication indicates a greatest threshold value of the one or more threshold values for which the condition is satisfied.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the indication indicates a lowest threshold value of the27one or more threshold values for which the condition is satisfied.

8. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the plurality of threshold values is received from the network device as part of a UE-initiated beam reporting configuration.

9. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the indication comprises a single-bit indication or a multi -bit indication sent as part of Uplink Control Information, UCI.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the indication is sent together with a scheduling request for scheduling at least one uplink resource for transmission by the apparatus of a UE- initiated beam report associated with the trigger event type.

11. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform: transmitting, to a terminal device, a plurality of threshold values for a condition associated with a trigger event type for user equipment, UE-initiated beam reporting; and receiving, from the terminal device, an indication indicating for which threshold value of the plurality of threshold values the condition is satisfied.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to perform: receiving, from the terminal device, a UE-initiated beam report associated with the trigger event type, and comprising: one or more beam indexes of one or more respective beams satisfying the condition, and one or more measurement values for the one or more respective beams.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to perform: allocating, based on receiving the indication, uplink resources for the terminal device to transmit a UE-initiated beam report.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least oneprocessor, further cause the apparatus at least to perform: responsive to the received UE-initiated beam report, sending at least one beam switching command to the terminal device.

15. The apparatus of any of claims 11 to 14, wherein the condition is a candidate beam that is measured to be better than a serving beam by a given threshold value.

16. The apparatus of any of claims 11 to 14, wherein the condition is a serving beam that is measured to be lower than a given threshold value.

17. The apparatus of any of claims 11 to 16, wherein the indication indicates one or more threshold values for which the condition is satisfied.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the indication indicates a greatest threshold value of one or more threshold values for which the condition is satisfied.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the indication indicates a lowest threshold value of one or more threshold values for which the condition is satisfied.

20. The apparatus of any of claims 11 to 19, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to perform: prioritizing, based on receiving the indication, an allocation of uplink resources for transmission by the terminal device of a UE-initiated beam report associated with the trigger event type.

21. The apparatus of any of claims 11 to 20, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to perform: configuring the terminal device with the plurality of threshold values.

22. The apparatus of any of claims 11 to 21, wherein the indication comprises a single-bit indication or a multi -bit indication received as part of Uplink Control Information, UCI.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the indication is received together with a scheduling request for scheduling at least one uplink resource for transmission by the apparatus of a UE-initiated beam report associated with the trigger event type.

24. A method comprising, by a terminal device: obtaining a plurality of threshold values for a condition associated with a trigger event type for user equipment, UE-initiated beam reporting; performing beam measurements; determining that the beam measurements satisfy the condition for one or more threshold values of the plurality of threshold values; and transmitting, to a network device, an indication indicating for which threshold value of the plurality of threshold values the condition is satisfied.

25. A method comprising, by a network device: transmitting, to a terminal device, a plurality of threshold values for a condition associated with a trigger event type for user equipment, UE-initiated beam reporting; and receiving, from the terminal device, an indication indicating for which threshold value of the plurality of threshold values the condition is satisfied.

Images