Methods and nodes for handling a separate SRS clpc

Abstract

There is provided a method performed by a wireless device for which two power control (PC) adjustment states are configured, the two PC adjustment states being distinct from PC adjustment states for Physical Uplink Shared CHannel (PUSCH). The method comprises: sending (210) a capability message to a network node, the capability message comprising an indication of support of parameters for PC for only Sounding Reference Signals (SRSs), the indication of support being per band; receiving a Radio Resource Control (RRC) configuration of PC directed to only SRSs, the RRC configuration comprising a configuration of the parameters for PC for SRSs, associated with each of the two PC adjustment states; receiving a Downlink Control Information (DCI) format 1_1 which comprises the parameters for PC for only SRS, for one of the two PC adjustment states; and transmitting a SRS to the network node, based on the parameters for PC for only SRSs, indicated in the DCI format 1_1. There is also provided a wireless device for implementing this method.

Description

Methods and nodes for handling a separate SRS CLPCRELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefits of priority of US 63 / 718,232, entitled “Handling of separate SRS CLPC and filed at the USPTO on November 8, 2024, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] This application relates to communication networks and more particularly to methods and nodes for handling a separate Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) Control Loop Power Control (CLPC).BACKGROUND

[0003] Sounding Reference Signal (SRS)

[0004] In New Radio (NR), SRS is used for providing Channel State Information (CSI) to the gNodeB (gNB) in the Uplink (UL). The usage of SRS includes, e.g., deriving the appropriate transmission / reception beams and / or to perform link adaptation (i.e., setting the transmission rank and the Modulation Coding Scheme (MCS)), and for selecting Downlink (DL), e.g., for Physical DL Share Channel (PDSCH) transmissions, and UL (e.g., for Physical UL Share Channel (PUSCH) transmissions) multiple input multiple output (MIMO) precoding.

[0005] In Long Term Evolution (LTE) and NR, the SRS is configured via Radio Resource Control (RRC), where parts of the configuration can be updated (for reduced latency) through Medium Access Control (MAC)-Control Element (CE) signaling. The configuration includes, for example, the SRS resource allocation (the physical mapping and the sequence to use) as well as the time-domain behavior (aperiodic, semi-persistent, or periodic). For aperiodic SRS transmission, the RRC configuration does not activate a SRS transmission from the Use Equipment (UE) but instead a dynamic activation trigger is transmitted from the gNB in the DL, via the DL Control Information (DCI) in the Physical DL Control Channel (PDCCH) which instructs the UE to transmit the SRS once, at a predetermined time.

[0006] When configuring SRS transmissions, the gNB configures, through the SRS-Config Information Element (IE), a set of SRS resources and a set of SRS resource sets, where each SRS resource set contains one or more SRS resources.

[0007] Uplink power control in NR

[0008] The gNB may consist of a single transmission and reception point (TRP) or multiple TRPs. In case of multiple TRPs, a UE can be scheduled with DL transmissions from one or more of the TRPs and UL data transmission to one or more of the TRPs, either one TRP at a time or simultaneously.

[0009] Uplink power control in NR consists of two parts, i.e., open-loop power control and closed-loop power control. Open-loop power control is used to set the UL transmit power based on a few factors such as pathloss estimation between the UE and a TRP in a serving cell, the target receive power, channel / signal bandwidth, MCS, fractional power control factor, etc.

[0010] CLPC is based on power adjustments signaled in power control commands received from the gNB. The power control commands are typically determined based on the difference between the actual received power and a desired received power at the gNB. Up to two closed power control loops can be configured in NR for each UL channel or signal. Either cumulative or non-cumulative closed-loop power adjustments are supported in NR. A closed loop adjustment at a given time is also referred to as a power control adjustment state.

[0011] A DL reference signal (RS) is transmitted from each TRP, which can be used by a UE to estimate the pathloss between the UE and the TRP. Each DL RS has an associated index for identifying it. For UL transmission, power control can be performed separately for each TRP.

[0012] Closed-Loop power control (CLPC) State in NR

[0013] In NR, two CLPC adjustment states are supported for Physical UL Control Channel (PUCCH), both are independent from the Closed-Loops of PUSCH and SRS. The Transmit Power Control (TPC) commands are indicated by the DCI format scheduling a PDCCH transmission (i.e., DCI format 1 0 / 1 1 / 1 2).

[0014] For PUSCH, two CLPC states are supported (independent of PUCCH) and controlled by the DCI format scheduling a PUSCH transmission (i.e., DCI format 0 0 / 0 1 / 0 2).

[0015] Besides the DL / UL scheduling DCIs which are UE specific, DCI format 2 2 can be used for transmission of group common TPC commands for PUCCH and PUSCH, if the RRC parameters twoPUCCH-PC-AdjustmentStates (see PUSCH-PowerControl IE) or twoPUSCH-PC- AdjustmentStates (see PUSCH-PowerControl IE) is configured. DCI format 2 3 can be used for triggering a SRS and providing TCP commands for SRS transmission. It is a group common DCI, e.g. the same PDCCH can be used to signal to a group of UEs and each UE reads from preconfigured bitfields to derive the SRS triggering and TPC information.

[0016] Each SRS resource set can be configured to either follow one of the two CLPC states for PUSCH, or a separate (single) CLPC state for only SRS.

[0017] As described in TS 38.213, if the RRC parameter srs- PowerControlAdjustmentStates (in SRS-Config IE) is not configured or indicates sameAsFcil, the SRS CLPC state should follow either the first or the second control: PC states of PUSCH, respectively. Otherwise, a separate SRS CLPC state is configured when srs- PowerControlAdjustmentStates indicates separateClosedLoop.

[0018] The separate CLPC state is conveyed in DCI format 2 3.

[0019] DCI format 2 3 is applicable for UL carrier(s) of serving cells where a UE is not configured for PUSCH / PUCCH transmission or for UL carrier(s) of a serving cell where srs- PowerControlAdjustmentStates indicates one or two separate power control adjustment state between SRS transmissions and PUSCH transmissions.

[0020] UL-only nodes

[0021] It is expected that the demand on capacity and user throughput will increase in the future. It is also expected that UL will become a limiting factor, partly due to the natural imbalance of spectral efficiency between UL and DL (which comes from for instance different number antennas, different power levels etc.) but also partly due to an increase of UL heavy services like gaming, Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V) communications, etc.

[0022] A potential remedy to this is to densify the networks more in the UL than in the DL. This may be done by for instance providing radio nodes that only receive in the UL (they do hence not perform any DL transmissions). We will refer to such a transmission node as an “UL-only node / TRP” herein. By using such UL-only nodes one could consequently enhance the UL without enhancing the DL. While there is obviously no direct improvement in DL performance, as compared to normal DL+UL nodes, benefits of UL-only nodes include lower complexity, lower weight, smaller volumes, ease of deployment and avoiding the need for permits to deploy radio transmitters. A first step to better support UL-only nodes has been included in the NR MIMO Rel- 19 Work Item Description (WID), where the power control for Frequency Range 1 (FR1) and FR2 will be enhanced to better support UL-only nodes.

[0023] As part of the Work Item NR MIMO Phase 5, there is an objective to specify enhancements for asymmetric DL sTRP / UL mTRP:

[0024] 5. Specify enhancement for asymmetric DL sTRP / UL mTRP deployment scenarios, assuming intra-band intra-DU non-co-located mTRP scenarios, without changing existing cell definition or defining a new cell (e.g. UL-only cell), assuming the Rel-17 / 18 unified TCI framework and fully reusing the legacy QCL / UL spatial relation rules, targeting FR1 andFR2 a. Two closed-loop PC adjustment states for SRS, both separate from PUSCH; and pathloss offset configurations for pathloss calculation to UL TRP(s), when the pathloss RS is from DL sTRP. b. Two TAs through reusing Rel-18 specification of two TAs for multi-DCI- based multi-TRP and removing the restriction that coresetPoolIndex needs to be configured, assuming legacy PRACH resourcesSUMMARY

[0025] In RAN1#116-RAN1#118bis, the legacy group common DCI format 2_3 was enhanced to include the second separate SRS CLPC adjustment state. In RANl#118bis, it was further discussed to additionally support indication of separate SRS CLPC adjustment state by UE specific DCI format 1 1, that a UE capability will be introduced to indicate support of a separate SRS CLPC for Asymmetric DL sTRP / UL mTRP and RRC parameters should be used to enable this feature.

[0026] Agreement

[0027] Support DCI format 1 1 to indicate TPC command for SRS CLPC adjustment state(s) separate from PUSCH:

[0028] - (Working Assumption) Introduce a 2-bit TPC command field to indicate TPC command for SRS associated with separate SRS CLPC adjustment state where: a. The 2-bit TPC command field is present if UE reports supporting a dedicated UE capability, and a corresponding RRC parameter is configured (which is a new RRC to enable this).

[0029] - (Working Assumption) Introduce a 1-bit SRS close-loop indicator to indicate one of the two separate SRS CLPC adjustment states for the TPC command.

[0030] The 1-bit SRS close-loop indicator is present if UE reports supporting another dedicated UE capability and a corresponding RRC parameter is configured (which is a new RRC to enable this) and two separate SRS CLPC adjustment states are configured.

[0031] There currently exist certain challenge(s). It is not clear how the RRC parameters should be introduced to enable indication of separate SRS CLPC by DCI format 1 1 for asymmetric DL sTRP / UL mTRP and the relation with DCI format 2 3. It is also not clear how the UE should indicate support for this feature in UE capability.

[0032] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges.

[0033] There are provided methods performed by a UE to be configured with DCI format 1 1 based indication of one or more separate SRS CLPC adjustment state(s), receiving an RRC message containing at least one of: o TPC command configuration for SRS associated with a separate SRS CLPC adjustment state further comprising:■ One or more fields in DCI format 1_1 defined in e.g. SRS-ResourceSet IE, SRS-Config IE or BWP-UplinkDedicated■ Presence / absence of the field(s) above is associated to one or more fields defined in an RRC messageRelation with DCI format 2_3o Configurations on SRS closed-loop indicator in DCI format 1_1 to refer to one of the two separate SRS CLPC adjustment states for the TPC command further comprising:■ One or more fields in DCI format 1_1 defined in e.g. SRS-ResourceSet IE, SRS-Config IE or BWP-UplinkDedicated■ Presence / absence of the field(s) above is associated to one or more fields defined in an RRC message■ Relation with DCI format 2_3

[0034] There are provided methods performed by a UE to indicate support of DCI format 1 1 based indication of one or more separate SRS CLPC adjustment states including any of: o Indicate support of TPC command configuration for SRS associated with a separate SRS CLPC adjustment state in DCI format 1_1 further comprising:■ One or more fields defined e.g. per UE or per Band■ Presence / absence of the field(s) above is associated to one or more fields defined in a UE Capability information message o Indicate support of SRS closed-loop power control indicator in DCi format 1_1 and related configurations to refer to one of the two separate SRS CLPC adjustment states for the TPC command further comprising:■ One or more fields defined e.g. per UE or per Band or per Band Combination■ Presence / absence of the field(s) above is associated to one or more fields defined in a UE Capability information message

[0035] There is further provided a method in a UE / wireless device, configured with two SRS CLPC adjustment states. The method comprises: sending a capability message to a network node, the capability message comprising an indication of support of parameters for power control (PC) for only SRSs, the indication of support being per band; receiving a RRC configuration of PC directed to only SRSs, the RRC configuration comprising a configuration of the parameters for PC for SRSs, associated with each of the two PC adjustment states; receiving a DCI format 1 1, which comprises the parameters for PC for only SRS, for one of the two PC adjustment states; and transmittinga SRS to the network node, based on the parameters for PC for only SRSs, indicated in the DCI format 1 1. A UE / wireless device for implementing this method is also provided.

[0036] There are also methods provided at the network node / gNB / TRP in communication with a UE configured with two SRS CLPC adjustment states. For example, the method comprises: receiving a capability message from a wireless device, the capability message comprising an indication of support of parameters for power control (PC) for only SRSs, the indication of support being per band; sending a RRC configuration of PC directed to only SRSs, the RRC configurationcomprising a configuration of the parameters for PC for SRSs associated with each of the two PC adjustment states; sending a DCI format 1 1, which comprises the parameters for PC for SRS only; and receiving a SRS from the wireless device, based on the parameters for PC for only SRSs, indicated in the DCI format 1 1. A network node configured to perform this method is also provided.

[0037] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the technical advantage(s). The UE will be able to indicate support for DCI format 1 1 based separate SRS CLPC adjustment for Asymmetric DL sTRP / UL mTRP and to be configured accordingly via RRC.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] Exemplary embodiments will be described in more detail with reference to the following figures, in which:

[0039] Fig. 1 illustrates an example of a signal diagram between a UE and a gNB / TRP for power control.

[0040] Fig. 2 illustrates a flow chart of a method in a UE, according to an embodiment.

[0041] Fig. 3 illustrates a flow chart of a method in a network node, according to an embodiment.

[0042] Fig. 4 shows an example of a communication system, according to an embodiment.

[0043] Fig. 5 shows another example of a communication system, according to an embodiment.

[0044] Fig. 6 shows a schematic diagram of a wireless device, according to an embodiment.

[0045] Fig. 7 shows a schematic diagram of a network node, according to an embodiment.

[0046] Fig. 8 illustrates a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0048] The disclosure has been described in the context of DCI format 1 1 based indication of separate SRS CLPC for Asymmetric DL sTRP / UL mTRP, but it can be applicable to other cases where a separate SRS CLPC is required, for example for symmetric DL mTRP / UL mTRP deployment.

[0049] An RRC message can include any message containing RRC parameters e.g. RRCReconfiguration message, RRCResume message, RRCSetup message.

[0050] “UE capabilities” can be defined as UE radio access capabilities, which comprises any of the following:

[0051] - A list of containers where each container indicates the UE capabilities for a certainRadio Access Technology (RAT) or Multi -Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC);

[0052] - A UE Capability Information message: a. It may be segmented; b. It may contain filters related to what the network requested from UE capabilities;

[0053] - A UE response to UECapabilityEnquiry message;

[0054] - A container stored within the Core Network (CN) and / or RAT node that may be transferred between the CN and RAT node;

[0055] - An identifier (ID) that may refer to one of the items above;

[0056] - A structure (e.g. a message, an IE, a container) which contains features divided in multiple granularities, e.g. per UE, per band, per Band Combination (BC), per feature set combination, per feature set, per feature set per contiguous carrier (CC), etc.

[0057] Now turning to Fig. 1, a signal diagram 100 between a UE 10 and gNB / TRP 12 for communicating with each other will be described according to an embodiment. For example, the UE can be deployed in a network of asymmetric DL and UL, i.e. there is a single TRP for DL (DL sTRP) and multiple TRPs for the UL (UL mTRPs). The UE can be configured / provided with two or more SRS CLPC adjustment states, i.e. CLPC adjustment states for only SRS.

[0058] In step 110, the UE sends a first message to the TRP, the first message being a UE capability message, for example. The UE capability message can comprise an indication of support of a SRS CLPC indication directed only to a SRS, referred to herein as a separate SRS CLPC. This means that the SRS CLPC indication is not the CLPC directed to PUSCH.

[0059] In step 120, the TRP sends a second message to the UE, the second message being a configuration message, such as a RRC message. The configuration message can comprise a configuration of the parameters related to the separate SRS CLPC, such as configurations of the TPC commands, the SRS closed-loop indicator, etc. There is a configuration of the TCP command for SRSs associated with each SRS CLPC state. The configuration can also comprise an indication of the DCI format, e.g. DCI format 1 1 and its different (new fields) and / or a relation to DCI format 2 3, for indicating the separate SRS CLPC. The configuration can also comprise parameters related to SRS (SRS resource, SRS set, etc.) The second message can be a RRC message, such as a RRCresume, RRCReconfiguration, or RRCSetup message.

[0060] In step 130, the TRP sends a DCI to the UE, the DCI comprising the indication of the separate SRS CLPC and other parameters, such as a TCP command and the SRS closed-loopindicator. The SRS closed loop indicator is used to indicate which SRS CLPC adjustment state the UE shall apply. The DCI format can be a DCI format 1 1 and / or DCI format 2 3.

[0061] In step 140, the UE sends a SRS to the TRP, based on the information in the received DCI, i.e. with the power adjusted as indicated in the TCP command and by the SRS closed-loop indicator, for example.

[0062] It should be noted that this method / procedure is also applicable in symmetric DL mTRP / ULmTRP.

[0063] Now, more details of this method will be described.

[0064] Step 110: UE capability to indicate support of a separate SRS CLPC including DCI format 1 1.

[0065] A UE can indicate in UE capabilities support of a separate SRS CLPC comprising one or more fields to indicate support of TPC command and SRS closed-loop indicator.

[0066] For example, a single field can be defined per band to indicate support of both TPC command and SRS closed-loop indicator. This field could also be defined per UE or with another granularity (e.g. per band combination, per FeatureSetperCC). This can further comprise that aUE indicating support of this field shall also indicate support of Asymmetric DL sTRP / UL mTRP. This can further comprise that the field is defined as ENUMERATED {SUPPORTED}.

[0067] In another example, the UE support of TPC command and SRS closed-loop indicator is indicated by multiple fields where each field may correspond to the support of the feature together with a certain DCI format. For instance:

[0068] • Support SRS TPC in DCI format 1 1

[0069] • Support SRS TPC in both DCI format 1 1 and DCI format 2 3

[0070] In another example, one field is used to indicate support of TPC command while another field is used to indicate support of SRS closed-loop indicator. This can further comprise that a UE indicating support of SRS closed-loop indicator shall also indicate support of TPC command. This can further comprise that the field is defined as ENUMERATED { SUPPORTED} .

[0071] Step 120: RRC configuration of a separate SRS CLPC including DCI format 1 1

[0072] A UE can be configured with a separate SRS CLPC comprising one or more fields for TPC command configuration and SRS closed-loop indicator.

[0073] For the TPC command provided by the DCI format 1 1, a new field could be introduced in the SRS-ResourceSet IE. This field could also be defined in another level, e.g. SRS- Config, UplinkConfig, BWPUplinkDedicated or SRS-TPC-CommandConfig. This RRC configuration can further comprise the following indication: presence of this field indicates the feature is enabled while absence of this field indicates that the feature is not enabled and the fieldcan be released if configured; presence of this field requires that the SRS closed-loop indicator is also configured or being configured. This field can be defined as INTEGER (0 ..1), which indicates that the UE shall derive a number of bits used CLPC control adjustment states between SRS transmissions and PUSCH transmissions. If one separate CLPC adjustment state is configured, two bits for TPC is needed; if two separate CLPC adjustment states are configured, e.g. enableTwoSeparatePowerControlAdjustmentStatesForSRS is configured, 3 bits are used in DCI format 1 1, with 1 bit in the DCI format 1 1 to indicate one of the two CLPC states and 2 bits in the DCI format 1 1 for indicating TPC to adjust the SRS transmit power.

[0074] In some examples, an RRC parameter can be introduced in the SRS-config IE to configure the UE to receive separate SRS CLPC TPC in DCI format 1 1. A few examples are illustrated below: s rs-TPCFieldDCI- l- l-rl 9 FNUPfF ATFD { enabled } s rs-TPCFieldDCI- l- l-rl 9 1MTFGFR ( 0 . . 1 )' .'Pl ' - AL —

[0075] For the SRS closed-loop indicator, a new field could be introduced in the SRS- ResourceSet IE. This field could also be defined in another level, e.g. SRS-Config, UplinkConfig or BWPUplinkDedicated. Furthermore, a presence of this field can indicate that the feature is enabled while absence of this field can indicate that the feature is not enabled and the field can be released if configured; presence of this field requires that the TPC command is also configured or being configured. This field can be defined as ENUMERATED {i0, il }, where each value (iO and il) indicates the closed-loop index to be used.

[0076] In another example, the configuration of the TPC command and SRS closed-loop indicator is given by two fields, where each TPC field is for a given closed-loop index value respectively (i.e., 1st / 2nd TPC fields correspond to "closedLoopIndex" value = 0 and 1). Furthermore, the presence of either one of the two fields or both fields indicates the feature is enabled while absence of either of the 2 fields or both fields can indicate that the feature is not enabled and one or both fields can be released if configured. The fields are defined as {SUPPORTED}.

[0077] Relation with DCI format 2 3

[0078] Similar to DCI format 1 1, an RRC parameter can be introduced in the SRS-config IE to configure the UE to receive separate SRS CLPC TPC in DCI format 2-3, one example is (see Note 1 below): s rs-TPCFieldDCI-2-3-r! 9 { enabled }

[0079] In one example, if the UE is configured to receive a separate SRS CLPC TPC in the DCI format 1-1 and DCI format 2-3, the UE will monitor DCI format 1-1 but skip monitoring DCI format 2-3. Alternatively, the UE may monitor DCI format 2-3, but skip monitoring DCI format 1-1.

[0080] In one example, the UE is not expected to be configured with both parameters, e.g. Srs-TPCFieldDCI-2-3-rl9 / carrierSwtiching and Srs-TPCFieldDCI-l-l-rl9, simultaneously. It should be noted that the DCI format 2-3 can be used to indicate SRS carrier switching on multiple cells configured for the UE. In one example, it is allowed to configure Srs-TPCFieldDCI-l-l-rl9 in one serving cell, and configure Srs-TPCFieldDCI-2-3-rl9 / carrierSwtiching in a different serving cell. In another example, if TPCFieldDCI-l-l-rl9 is configured in one of the serving cells, the UE does not expect Srs-TPCFieldDCI-2-3-rl9 / carrierSwtiching being configured in any of the serving cells.

[0081] In yet another example, Srs-TPCFieldDCI-l-l-rl9 and Srs-TPCFieldDCI-2-3- rl9 / carrierSwti ching can both be configured in a serving cell. The UE adjusts its SRS power according to the TPC fields and SRI fields based on the latest PDCCH before the SRS transmission, either PDCCH in DCI format 1-1 or PDCCH in DCI format 2-3.

[0082] In another example, if the UE does not indicate support for simultaneous update of TPC using both DCI format 1 1 and DCI format 2 3, the UE is not expected to be configured with both parameters (e.g. Srs-TPCFieldDCI-2-3-rl9 and Srs-TPCFieldDCI-l-l-rl9) simultaneously.

[0083] Note 1 : The above ASN. l example of DCI 2-3 is just a way to describe the issue. Legacy configuration of DCI format 2-3 is more complex, carrierSwitching (IE SRS- CarrierSwitching) configured in UplinkConfig in ServingCellConfig indicates if DCI format 2- 3 is configured for SRS of the cell, and within SRS-CarrierSwitching IE, a field describes from which cell or Carrier the DCI format 2-3 is received at the UE, startingBitOfFormat2-2 describes where to find the TPC command for the SRS sent on the cell. In the context that legacy DCI format 2-3 configuration is reused or repurposed for this NR release, the configuration of the DCI format 2-3 for separate CLPC TPC is indicated by the UE being configured by higher layers with parameter carrierSwitching or provided with TPC-SRS-RNTI.

[0084] Fig. 2 illustrates an example of a flow chart of a method 200 in a UE / wireless device, such as UE 10 of Fig. 1, or UE 412 of Fig. 4 or UE 600 of Fig. 6. The UE may be deployed in an asymmetric DL sTRP / UL mTRP environment. The UE may also be configured with two SRS CLPC adjustment states. Method 200 comprises:

[0085] Step 210: sending a capability message to a network node, the capability message comprising an indication of support of parameters for power control (PC) for only SRSs, the indication of support being per band;

[0086] Step 220: receiving a RRC configuration of power control directed to only SRSs, the RRC configuration comprising a configuration of the parameters for PC for SRSs associated with each of the two PC adjustment states;

[0087] Step 230: receiving a DCI format 1 1 which comprises the parameters for PC for only SRSs, for one of the two PC adjustment states; and

[0088] Step 240: transmitting a SRS to the network node, based on the parameters for PC for only SRSs, indicated in the DCI format 1 1.

[0089] Some examples of method 200 have been described above, with reference to Fig. 1. Also, it should be noted that other signals or RSs could be used with this method. In other words, this method is not limited to SRS. Also, this method can be applicable to UL transmissions other than SRS transmissions.

[0090] In some examples, the parameters for PC comprise a TPC command for a SRS. The TPC command can be given by 2 bits. In some examples, the configuration of the TPC command is configured in a SRS-Config IE. In some examples, the configuration for the TCP command comprises an indication of presence of the TCP command in the DCI format 1 1. In some examples, the configuration for the TCP command comprises an indication of relation with DCI format 2 3. In some examples, the parameters for PC comprise a SRS closed loop indicator. In some examples, the SRS closed loop indicator indicates one of the two PC adjustment states. In some examples, the configuration of the SRS closed loop indicator is configured in a SRS-Config IE. In some examples, the configuration for the SRS closed-loop indicator comprises an indication of presence of the SRS closed-loop indicator in the DCI format 1 1. In some examples, the configuration for the SRS closed-loop indicator comprises an indication of relation with DCI format 2 3. In some examples, the capability message further comprises an indication of support of PC adjustment states in the DCI format 1 1. In some examples, the indication of support of the parameters for PC is further defined per UE or a combination of per UE and per band. In some examples, the capability message comprises an indication of support of asymmetric DL sTRP) / UL mTRP. In some examples, the capability message comprises an indication of support of dedicated UE capability for a TPC command associated with PC for only SRSs.

[0091] Furthermore, the configuration for the TCP command can comprise a definition for one or more fields in a DCI format 1 1. In some examples, the definition for the one or more fields is provided in SRS-ResourceSet IE, SRS-Config IE or BWP-UplinkDedicated. In some examples,the configuration for the TCP command comprises a configuration for the presence or absence of the one or more fields for the DCI format 1 1. In some examples, the configuration for the SRS closed-loop indicator comprises definition for one or more fields in a DCI format 1 1. In some examples, the definition for the one or more fields is provided in SRS-ResourceSet IE, SRS-Config IE or BWP-UplinkDedicated. In some examples, the configuration for the SRS closed-loop indicator comprises a configuration for the presence or absence of the one or more fields for the DCI format 1 1. In some examples, the indication of one of the two PC adjustment states in the DCI format 1 1 is a SRS closed-loop indicator. In some examples, the UE capability message comprises an indication of support of a TPC command configuration for a SRS associated with one of the two PC adjustment states. In some examples, the UE capability message comprises an indication of support of a SRS closed-loop power control indicator in the DCI format 1 1. In some examples, the indication of support of the TCP command and SRS closed-loop indicator is defined per UE or per Band or per band combination.

[0092] Now turning to Fig. 3, an example of a flow chart of a method 300 in a network node, such as gNB or TRP 10 of Fig. 1, or network node 410 of Fig. 4 or network node 700 of Fig. 6, will be described. The UE / wireless device may be deployed in an asymmetric DL sTRP / UL mTRP environment and is configured with two SRS CLPC adjustment states. Method 300 comprises:

[0093] Step 310: receiving a capability message from a wireless device, the capability message comprising an indication of support of parameters for power control (PC) for only SRSs, the indication of support being per band;

[0094] Step 320: sending a RRC configuration of PC directed to only SRSs, the RRC configuration comprising a configuration of the parameters for PC for SRSs associated with each of the two PC adjustment states;

[0095] Step 330: sending a DCI format 1 1, which comprises the parameters for PC for only SRSs, for one of the two PC adjustment states;

[0096] Step 340: receiving a SRS from the wireless device, based on the parameters for PC for only SRSs, indicated in the DCI format 1 1.

[0097] Examples of this method have been given above, with reference to Fig. 1.

[0098] In some examples, the parameters for PC comprise a TPC command for a SRS. TheTPC command can be given by 2 bits. In some examples, the configuration of the TPC command is configured in a SRS-Config IE. In some examples, the configuration for the TCP command comprises an indication of presence of the TCP command in the DCI format 1 1. In some examples, the configuration for the TCP command comprises an indication of relation with DCI format 2 3. In some examples, the parameters for PC comprise a SRS closed loop indicator. Insome examples, the SRS closed loop indicator indicates one of the two PC control adjustment states. In some examples, the configuration of the SRS closed loop indicator is configured in a SRS-Config IE. In some examples, the configuration for the SRS closed-loop indicator comprises an indication of presence of the SRS closed-loop indicator in the DCI format 1 1. In some examples, the configuration for the SRS closed-loop indicator comprises an indication of relation with DCI format 2 3. In some examples, the capability message further comprises an indication of support of PC adjustment states in the DCI format 1 1. In some examples, the indication of support of the parameters for PC is further defined per UE or a combination of per UE and per band. In some examples, the capability message comprises an indication of support of asymmetric DL sTRP / UL mTRP. In some examples, the capability message comprises an indication of support of dedicated UE capability for a TPC command associated with PC for only SRSs.

[0099] Fig. 4 shows an example of a communication system 400 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0100] In the example, the communication system 400 includes a telecommunications network 402 that includes an access network 404, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 406, which includes one or more core network nodes 408. The access network 404 includes one or more access network nodes or base stations of various types, access network nodes 410A and 410B are depicted (which may be collectively referred to as network nodes 410), or any other similar 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP access points (APs). Some embodiments of the access network 404 may include more than one access network technology. The network nodes 410 of access network 404 facilitate direct or indirect connection of wireless devices, also referred to as UEs, such as by connecting UEs 412A, 412B, 412C, and 412D (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 412) to the core network 406 over one or more wireless connections.

[0101] Moreover, a network node is not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that network nodes include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunications network 402 includes one or more Open- RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a network node in the telecommunications network 402 that supports an ORAN specification (e.g., a specification published by the O-RAN Alliance, or any similar organization) and may operate alone or together with other network nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any network node in the telecommunications network 402, including one or more access network nodes 410 and / or core network nodes 408.

[0102] Examples of an ORAN network node include an open radio unit (O-RU), an open distributed unit (O-DU), an open central unit (O-CU), including an O-CU control plane (O-CU- CP) or an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near-real time or non-real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). An ORAN network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an Al, Fl, Wl, El, E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Moreover, an ORAN network node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface defined by the 0-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies.

[0103] The network nodes 410 facilitate direct or indirect connection of one or more UEs 412 to the core network 406 over one or more wireless connections. Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system 400 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system 400 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0104] The UEs 412 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes 410 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 408, 410 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly (e.g., via other devices of telecommunications network 402) with the UEs 412 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunications network 402 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunications network 402. More specifically, UEs 412 may send messages, data, and / or other signals to network nodes 408, 410 or other elements of the telecommunicationsnetwork 402 by transmitting such signals to the relevant device directly without the signals passing through any intervening devices or by transmitting such signals to the relevant device indirectly through an intervening device (or multiple intervening devices) that then transmit the signal to the relevant device. Similarly, network nodes 408, 410 may send messages, data, and other signals to UEs 4122, other network nodes 408, 410, and other devices in telecommunications network 402 directly or indirectly. As one specific example, a core network node 108 may transmit a particular message to a UE 412 by transmitting the message to an access network node 410 that will then transmit the message to the intended UE 412. Similarly, a core network node 108 may receive a particular message from a UE 412 by receiving the message from an access network node 410 that itself received the message from the UE 412.

[0105] In the depicted example, the core network 406 connects elements of the access network 404 (e.g., one or more of the network nodes 410) to one or more host computing systems, such as host 416. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network 406 includes one or more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 408) of various types, one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 408. Network nodes 408 are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, access network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 408. Example core network nodes provide functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-concealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0106] The host 416 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 404 and / or the telecommunications network 402. The host 416 may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 416 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0107] As a whole, the communication system 400 of Fig. 4 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system 400 may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (Wi-Fi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (Wi-Max), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, Li-Fi, and / or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox. Moreover, the communication system 400 may be configured to support multiple different standards, protocols, or other rule sets, with individual components supporting all of the relevant rule sets or with different components or sub-systems within the communication system 400 supporting different standards, protocols, or rule sets.

[0108] As one example, in certain embodiments, access network 404 may contain some access network nodes 410 that support 3 GPP radio access technologies (RAT), such as LTE or NR, while other access network nodes 410 support (or the same access network nodes 410 additionally support) non-3GPP RATs, such as Wi-Fi or a proprietary RAT. As another example, telecommunications network 402 may support multiple generations of related communication standards (e.g., 4G and 5G 3GPP communication standards) and, as a result, may include an access network 104 and / or a core network 106 that supports multiple different standard generations or may include multiple access networks 104 and / or multiple core networks 106 with individual networks 104, 106 supporting different standard generations.

[0109] Telecommunications network 402 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunications network 402. For example, the telecommunications network 402 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / Massive loT services to yet further UEs.

[0110] In some examples, one or more of the UEs 412 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 404 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 404. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-RAT or multi -standard mode. Forexample, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).[OHl] In the example, the hub 414 communicates with the access network 404 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 412C and / or 412D) and network nodes (e.g., network node 410B). In some examples, the hub 414 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 414 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 406 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 414 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes 410, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 414.

[0112] As another example, the hub 414 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub 414 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 414 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 414 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 414 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0113] The hub 414 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 410B. The hub 414 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 414 and UEs (e.g., UE 412C and / or 412D), and between the hub 414 and the core network 406. In other examples, the hub 414 is connected to the core network 406 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 414 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 404 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 410 while still connected via the hub 414 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 414 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node 410B. In other embodiments, the hub 414 may be a nondedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 410B, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0114] Fig. 5 is another example of a communication system 500 according to some embodiments. As used herein, the communication system 500 includes multiple access points (APs) 510 (with four exemplary APs 510A, 510B, 510C, and 510D being depicted) and multiple wireless devices, referred to in the context of communication system 500 as stations (STAs) 512 (referred to individually as STA 512A, STA 512B, STA 512C, STA 512D, and STA 512E). STA 512A is served by AP 510A in a first basic service set (BSS) 520A. STA 510B and STA 510C are served by AP 510B in a second BSS, BSS 520B. STA 512D is served by AP 510C in a third BSS, BSS 520C. STA 512E is served by AP 510D in a fourth BSS, BSS 520D. Stations 512 may be non-AP STAs and correspond to various kinds of wireless devices, for example, user terminals, such as mobile or stationary computing devices like smartphones, laptop computers, desktop computers, tablet computers, gaming devices, head-mounted displays (HMDs) for Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), or the like. Further, stations 512 could, for example, correspond to other kinds of equipment like smart home devices, printers, multimedia devices, data storage devices, or the like.

[0115] Each of STAs 512 may connect through a radio link to one of APs 510. For example, depending on location or channel conditions experienced by a given STA 512, the STA may select an appropriate AP and BSS for establishing the radio link. The radio link may be based on one or more orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) carriers from a frequency spectrum that is shared on the basis of a contention-based mechanism, e.g., an unlicensed or license exempt band like 2.4 GHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band, the 5 GHz band, the 6 GHz band, or the 60 GHz band.

[0116] Each AP 510 may provide data connectivity to STAs 512 connected to a particular AP 510. As illustrated, APs 510 may be connected to a data network 530. In this way, APs 510 may also provide data connectivity between STAs 512 and other entities, e.g., to one or more servers, service providers, data sources, data sinks, user terminals, or the like. Accordingly, the radio link established between a given STA 512 and its serving AP 510 may be used for providing various kinds of services to STA 512, e.g., a voice service, a multimedia service, or other data service. Such services may be based on applications that are executed on STA 512 and / or on a device linked to STA 512. By way of example, Fig. 5 illustrates an application service platform 532 provided in data network 530. The application(s) executed on STA 512 and / or on one or more other devices linked to STA 512 may use the radio link for data communication with one or more other STA 512 and / or the application service platform 532, thereby enabling utilization of the corresponding service(s) at STA 512.

[0117] Fig. 6 shows a wireless device 600, which may be configured to operate in communication system 400 of Fig. 4 or in communication system 500 of Fig. 5. The wireless device 600 may be alternatively referred to as a UE 600, like a UE 412 within the context of communication system 400, or as a station (STA) 600 or as a non-access-point station (non-AP STA) 600, like a STA 512 within the context of the communication system 500, in accordance with respective embodiments. As used herein, a wireless device refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other wireless devices. Examples of a wireless device include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle, vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, and wireless terminal. Other examples include any type of UE identified by the 3 GPP, including a narrow band loT (NB-IoT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0118] A wireless device 600 may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3 GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), V2V, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, wireless device 600 may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, wireless device 600 may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, wireless device 600 may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0119] In particular embodiments, wireless device 600 includes processing circuitry 602 that is operatively coupled via a bus 604 to an input / output interface 606, a power source 608, a memory 610, a communication interface 612, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain embodiments of wireless device 600 may include all or a subset of the components shown in Fig. 6. The level of integration between the components may vary from one embodiment of wireless device 600 to another. In general, in a particular embodiment of wireless device 600, processing circuitry 602, input / output interface 606, power source 608, memory 610, and communication interface 612 may, in whole or in part, represent or include physical componentscommon to or shared by one or more of the other elements of wireless device 600. Further, certain embodiments of wireless devices 600 may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0120] The processing circuitry 602 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory 610. The processing circuitry 602 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field- programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry 602 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs). Furthermore, the processing circuitry 602 may be configured to perform any steps of method 200 of Fig. 2.

[0121] In the example, the input / output interface 606 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into wireless device 600. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0122] In some embodiments, the power source 608 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used to supply power to circuitry or to charge an associated battery. The power source 608 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 608 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of wireless device 600 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Power source 608 may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to make accessible power suitable for the respective components of the wireless device 600 to which power is supplied.

[0123] The memory 610 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM(EPROM), electrically EPROM (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 610 includes one or more programs 614, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 616. The memory 610 may store, for use by wireless device 600, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0124] The memory 610 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory 610 may allow wireless device 600 to access instructions, programs and the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory 610, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0125] The processing circuitry 602 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network via or using the communication interface 612. The communication interface 612 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 622. The communication interface 612 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another wireless device or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 618 and / or a receiver 620 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 618 and receiver 620 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 622) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0126] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 612 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication (e.g., according to an IEEE 802.11 family standard), LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth,near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, NR, UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / internet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0127] In particular embodiments, wireless device 600 may provide an output of data captured via a sensor, through its communication interface 612, via a wireless connection to a network node, and / or in any appropriate manner. Data captured by sensors of a wireless device 600 can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another wireless device 600. In particular embodiments, such output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0128] As another example, wireless device 600 comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, wireless device 600 may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0129] Wireless device 600, when in the form of an loT device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. In particular embodiments, wireless device 600 represents an loT device that comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the example embodiment of wireless device 600 shown in Figure 6.

[0130] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, wireless device 600 may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements, and transmits the resultsof such monitoring and / or measurements to another wireless device and / or a network node. Wireless device 600 may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, wireless device 600 may implement the 3 GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, wireless device 600 may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship and an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0131] In practice, any number of wireless devices 600 may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first wireless device 600 might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second wireless device 600 that is a remote controller operating the drone. When a user makes changes from the remote controller, the first wireless device 600 may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g. by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone’s speed. The first and / or the second wireless device 600 can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, wireless device 600 might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0132] Fig. 7 shows a network node 700 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunications network. In accordance with respective embodiments, network node 700 may be configured to operate in communication system 400 of Figure 4, like network nodes 408 or 410, or in communication system 500 of Figure 5, like an AP 510 or a station 512. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs (NBs), evolved NBs (eNBs) and NR NBs (gNBs)), O- RAN nodes or components of an 0-RAN node (e.g., O-RU, O-DU, O-CU).

[0133] Network nodes 700 may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. Network node 700 may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. Network nodes 700 may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units, distributed units (e.g., in an 0-RAN access node) and / or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0134] Other examples of network nodes 700 include multiple transmission point (multi-TRP)5G access nodes, multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi -cell / multi cast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0135] In particular embodiments, network node 700 includes a processing circuitry 702, a memory 704, a communication interface 706, and a power source 708. In general, in a particular embodiment of network node 700, processing circuitry 702, memory 704, communication interface 706, and power source 708 may, in whole or in part, represent or include physical components common to or shared by one or more of the other elements of network node 700.

[0136] The network node 700 may be composed of multiple distinct network entities (e.g., a NodeB entity and a RNC entity, or a BTS entity and a BSC entity, etc.), which may each have or utilize their own respective physical components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 700 comprises multiple such entities (e.g., BTS and BSC), one or more of the separate entities may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 700 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memories 704 or portions of memory 704 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 710 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 700 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 700, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, Wi-Fi (e.g., according to an IEEE 802.11 family standard), Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 700.

[0137] The processing circuitry 702 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other components, such as the memory 704, to provide network node 700 functionality.

[0138] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 702 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 702 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 712 and baseband processing circuitry 714. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuitry 712 and the baseband processing circuitry 714 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 712 and baseband processing circuitry 714 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units. Furthermore, the processing circuitry 702 is configured to perform any steps of method 300 of Fig. 3.

[0139] The memory 704 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, RAM, ROM, mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 702. The memory 704 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 702 and utilized by the network node 700. The memory 704 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 702 and / or any data received via the communication interface 706. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 702 and memory 704 is integrated.

[0140] The communication interface 706 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data with UEs, other network nodes, and / or any other network equipment. In the illustrated embodiment, communication interface 706 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 716 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. In particular embodiments, network node 600 may be capable of wireless communication and communication interface 706 may also include radio front-end circuitry 718 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, an antenna 710. Particular embodiments of radio front-end circuitry 718 include filter(s) 720 and amplifier(s) 722. The radio front-end circuitry 718 may be connected to an antenna 710 and processing circuitry 702. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 710 and processing circuitry 702. The radio front-end circuitry 718 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 718 may convert the digital data into a radio signal(s) having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination offilters 720 and / or amplifiers 722. The radio signal(s) may then be transmitted via the antenna 710. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 710 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 718. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 702. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0141] In certain alternative embodiments, network node 700 may be capable of wireless communication but does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 718, instead, the processing circuitry 702 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 710. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 712 is part of the communication interface 706. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 706 includes one or more ports or terminals 716, the radio front-end circuitry 718, and the RF transceiver circuitry 712, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 706 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 714, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0142] The antenna 710 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 710 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 718 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 710 is separate from the network node 700 and connectable to the network node 700 through one or more interfaces or ports.

[0143] The antenna 710, communication interface 706, and / or the processing circuitry 702 may be configured to perform some or all of the receiving operations and / or obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node 700. Any information, data and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 710, the communication interface 706, and / or the processing circuitry 702 may be configured to perform some or all of the transmitting or sending operations described herein as being performed by the network node 700. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0144] The power source 708 provides power to the various components of network node 700 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 708 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 700 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 700 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid, an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 708. As a further example, the power source 708 maycomprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0145] Embodiments of the network node 700 may include additional components beyond those shown in Fig. 7 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 700 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 700 and to allow output of information from the network node 700. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 700.

[0146] Fig. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 800 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments 800 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as an access network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which a virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment 800 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface.

[0147] Applications 802 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0148] Hardware 804 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 806 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VM 808A and VM 808B (which may be collectively referred to as VMs 808), and / or perform any of the functions, featuresand / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 806 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to one or more of the VMs 808.

[0149] The VMs 808 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by virtualization layer 806. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 802 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 808, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.

[0150] In the context of NFV, each of the VMs 808 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs 808, and that part of hardware 804 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more of the VMs 808 on top of the hardware 804 and corresponds to an application 802.

[0151] Hardware 804 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 804 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 804 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g. such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 810, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 802. In some embodiments, hardware 804 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 812 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0152] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or softwareneeded to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0153] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.

[0154] The above-described embodiments are intended to be examples only. Alterations, modifications and variations may be effected to the particular embodiments by those of skill in the art without departing from the scope of the description.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method performed by a wireless device (10, 410, 600) for which two power control (PC) adjustment states are configured, the two PC adjustment states being distinct from PC adjustment states for Physical Uplink Shared CHannel (PUSCH), the method comprising:- sending (210) a capability message to a network node, the capability message comprising an indication of support of parameters for PC for only Sounding Reference Signals (SRSs), the indication of support being per band;- receiving (220) a Radio Resource Control (RRC) configuration of PC directed to only SRSs, the RRC configuration comprising a configuration of the parameters for PC for SRSs, associated with each of the two PC adjustment states;- receiving (230) a Downlink Control Information (DCI) format 1 1 which comprises the parameters for PC for only SRS, for one of the two PC adjustment states; and- transmitting (240) a SRS to the network node, based on the parameters for PC for only SRSs, indicated in the DCI format 1 1.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameters for PC comprise a Transmit Power Control (TPC) command for a SRS.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the TPC command is given by 2 bits.

4. The method of any one of claims 2 to 3, wherein the configuration of the TPC command is configured in a SRS-Config Information Element (IE).

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the configuration for the TCP command comprises an indication of presence of the TCP command in the DCI format 1 1.

6. The method of any one of claims 4 to 5, wherein the configuration for the TCP command comprises an indication of relation with DCI format 2 3.

7. The method of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the parameters for PC comprise a SRS closed loop indicator.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the SRS closed loop indicator indicates one of the two PC adjustment states.

9. The method of any one of claims 7 to 8, wherein the configuration of the SRS closed loop indicator is configured in a SRS-Config IE.

10. The method of any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the configuration for the SRS closed-loop indicator comprises an indication of presence of the SRS closed-loop indicator in the DCI format1 1.

11. The method of any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the configuration for the SRS closed-loop indicator comprises an indication of relation with DCI format 2 3.

12. The method of any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the capability message further comprises an indication of support of PC adjustment states in the DCI format 1 1.

13. The method of any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the indication of support of the parameters for PC is further defined per UE or a combination of per UE and per band.

14. The method of any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the capability message comprises an indication of support of asymmetric Downlink (DL) single Transmit Receive Point (sTRP) / Uplink (UL) multiple TRP (mTRP).

15. The method of any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the capability message comprises an indication of support of dedicated UE capability for a TPC command associated with PC for only SRSs.

16. A method performed by a network node (12, 412, 700) for power control (PC), in communications with a wireless device configured with two PC adjustment states for only Sounding Reference Signal (SRS), distinct from PC adjustments states for Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), the method comprising:- receiving (310) a capability message from a wireless device, the capability message comprising an indication of support of parameters for PC for only SRSs, the indication of support being per band;- sending (320) a RRC configuration of PC directed to only SRSs, the RRC configuration comprising a configuration of the parameters for PC for SRSs associated with each of the two PC adjustment states;- sending (330) a Downlink Control Information (DCI) format 1 1, which comprises the parameters for PC for SRS only; and- receiving (340) a SRS from the wireless device, based on the parameters for PC for only SRSs, indicated in the DCI format 1 1.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the parameters for PC comprise a Transmit Power Control (TPC) command for a SRS.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the TPC command is given by 2 bits.

19. The method of any one of claims 17 to 18, wherein the configuration of the TPC command is configured in a SRS-Config Information Element (IE).

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the configuration for the TCP command comprises an indication of presence of the TCP command in the DCI format 1 1.

21. The method of any one of claims 19 to 20, wherein the configuration for the TCP command comprises an indication of relation with DCI format 2 3.

22. The method of any one of claims 16 to 21, wherein the parameters for PC comprise a SRSclosed loop indicator.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the SRS closed loop indicator indicates one of the two power control adjustment states.

24. The method of any one of claims 22 to 23, wherein the configuration of the SRS closed loop indicator is configured in a SRS-Config IE.

25. The method of any one of claims 22 to 24, wherein the configuration for the SRS closed- loop indicator comprises an indication of presence of the SRS closed-loop indicator in the DCI format 1 1.

26. The method of any one of claims 22 to 25, wherein the configuration for the SRS closed- loop indicator comprises an indication of relation with DCI format 2 3.

27. The method of any one of claims 16 to 26, wherein the capability message further comprises an indication of support of PC adjustment states in the DCI format 1 1.

28. The method of any one of claims 16 to 27, wherein the indication of support of the parameters for PC is further defined per UE or a combination of per UE and per band.

29. The method of any one of claims 16 to 28, wherein the capability message comprises an indication of support of asymmetric Downlink (DL) single Transmit Receive Point (sTRP) / Uplink (UL) multiple TRP (mTRP).

30. The method of any one of claims 16 to 29, wherein the capability message comprises an indication of support of dedicated UE capability for a TPC command associated with PC for only SRSs.

31. A wireless device (10, 410, 600) for power control, comprising: processing circuitry (602) configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 15; and a power source (608) configured to supply power to the processing circuitry (602).

32. A network node (12, 412, 700) for power control, the network node comprising: processing circuitry (702) configured to perform the method of any one of claims 16 to 30; a power source circuitry (708) configured to supply power to the processing circuitry (702).

33. A computer program product comprising a computer readable memory storing computer executable instructions thereon that when executed by a computer perform any one of the methods of any one of claims 1 to 30.

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