Method and apparatus for configuring reference signal for triggering user equipment-initiated beam reporting operation

Abstract

This method of a user equipment may comprise the steps of: receiving, from a base station, configuration information indicating a reference signal of a current beam or a reference signal of a new beam; detecting whether two or more events occur on the basis of the configuration information; when the occurrence of at least one of the two or more events is detected, transmitting, to the base station, a first uplink (UL) channel for beam reporting; and transmitting, to the base station, a second UL channel including a beam report.

Description

Method and apparatus for establishing a reference signal for triggering terminal-led beam reporting operation

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a beam management method in a mobile communication system, and more specifically, to a method and apparatus for setting a reference signal for triggering a terminal-led beam reporting operation.

[0002] Communication networks (e.g., 5G communication networks, 6G communication networks, etc.) are being developed to provide communication services that are improved over existing communication networks (e.g., LTE (long term evolution), LTE-A (advanced), etc.). 5G communication networks (e.g., NR (new radio) communication networks) can support frequency bands above 6 GHz as well as frequency bands below 6 GHz. That is, 5G communication networks can support the FR1 band and / or FR2 band. 5G communication networks can support a wider variety of communication services and scenarios compared to LTE communication networks. For example, usage scenarios for 5G communication networks may include eMBB (enhanced Mobile BroadBand), URLLC (Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication), mMTC (massive Machine Type Communication), etc.

[0003] 6G communication networks can support a wider variety of communication services and scenarios compared to 5G communication networks. 6G communication networks can meet the requirements for ultra-high performance, ultra-bandwidth, ultra-spatial, ultra-precision, ultra-intelligence, and / or ultra-reliability. 6G communication networks can support a wide range of frequency bands and can be applied to various usage scenarios (e.g., terrestrial communication, non-terrestrial communication, sidelink communication, etc.).

[0004] Meanwhile, 3GPP (3 rd Release-19 of the generation partnership project is proceeding with standardization for user equipment-initiated (UEI) and event-driven (ED) beam management to address the issues of conventional network-driven beam management. Unlike conventional network-driven beam management, user equipment-initiated / event-driven beam management is a method in which the terminal, which can recognize the current beam status and beam change trends relatively faster than the base station, proactively performs beam management. However, in user equipment-initiated / event-driven beam management, reference signals for measuring the quality of the current beam and new beam for event detection to trigger beam reporting operations, and methods for setting said reference signals, have not been specifically defined.

[0005] The objective of the present disclosure to solve the above-mentioned problems is to provide a method and apparatus for setting a reference signal for measuring the quality of a current beam and a new beam for event detection to trigger a beam reporting operation.

[0006] A method of a terminal according to embodiments of the present disclosure for achieving the above objective may include: receiving setting information indicating a reference signal for a current beam or a reference signal for a new beam from a base station; detecting whether two or more events occur based on the setting information; transmitting a first uplink (UL) channel for beam reporting to the base station when the occurrence of at least one of the two or more events is detected; and transmitting a second UL channel including a beam report to the base station.

[0007] The base station can confirm at least one of the two or more events based on the first UL channel or the second UL channel.

[0008] The base station may identify at least one of the two or more events based on information included in the first UL channel or the second UL channel, or identify at least one of the two or more events based on the time and / or frequency resources at which the first UL channel or the second UL channel is transmitted.

[0009] When the above setting information indicates a reference signal of the current beam, the above two or more events may include Event-2, which occurs when the quality of the new beam improves by a threshold amount compared to the quality of the current beam, and Event-1, which occurs when the quality of the current beam falls below the threshold amount.

[0010] The reference signal of the current beam indicated by the above setting information may be used commonly for the detection of the occurrence of Event-1 and the occurrence of Event-2, or the reference signal of the current beam indicated by the above setting information may be used for the detection of the occurrence of Event-2, and the reference signal quasi-co-located with the reference signal of the current beam may be used for the detection of the occurrence of Event-1.

[0011] When the above configuration information indicates a reference signal for a new beam, the above two or more events may include Event-2, which occurs when the quality of the new beam improves by a threshold value compared to the quality of the current beam, and Event-7, which occurs when the quality of the new beam improves by a threshold value compared to the reference signal derived from the M-th best quality active TCI (transmission configuration indicator) state.

[0012] The reference signal of the new beam indicated by the above setting information may be used commonly for the detection of the occurrence of Event-1 and the occurrence of Event-7, or the reference signal of the new beam indicated by the above setting information may be used for the detection of the occurrence of Event-2, and a reference signal different from the reference signal of the new beam indicated by the above setting information may be used for the detection of the occurrence of Event-7.

[0013] A method of a base station according to embodiments of the present disclosure for achieving the above objective may include: transmitting configuration information to a terminal indicating a reference signal of a current beam or a reference signal of a new beam; receiving a first uplink (UL) channel for beam reporting from the terminal when at least one of two or more events occurs at the terminal; and receiving a second UL channel including a beam report from the terminal.

[0014] The base station can confirm at least one of the two or more events based on the first UL channel or the second UL channel.

[0015] The base station may identify at least one of the two or more events based on information included in the first UL channel or the second UL channel, or identify at least one of the two or more events based on the time and / or frequency resources at which the first UL channel or the second UL channel is transmitted.

[0016] When the above setting information indicates a reference signal of the current beam, the above two or more events may include Event-2, which occurs when the quality of the new beam improves by a threshold amount compared to the quality of the current beam, and Event-1, which occurs when the quality of the current beam falls below the threshold amount.

[0017] The reference signal of the current beam indicated by the above setting information may be used commonly for the detection of the occurrence of Event-1 and the occurrence of Event-2, or the reference signal of the current beam indicated by the above setting information may be used for the detection of the occurrence of Event-2, and the reference signal quasi-co-located with the reference signal of the current beam may be used for the detection of the occurrence of Event-1.

[0018] When the above configuration information indicates a reference signal for a new beam, the above two or more events may include Event-2, which occurs when the quality of the new beam improves by a threshold value compared to the quality of the current beam, and Event-7, which occurs when the quality of the new beam improves by a threshold value compared to the reference signal derived from the M-th best quality active TCI (transmission configuration indicator) state.

[0019] The reference signal of the new beam indicated by the above setting information may be used commonly for the detection of the occurrence of Event-1 and the occurrence of Event-7, or the reference signal of the new beam indicated by the above setting information may be used for the detection of the occurrence of Event-2, and a reference signal different from the reference signal of the new beam indicated by the above setting information may be used for the detection of the occurrence of Event-7.

[0020] A terminal according to embodiments of the present disclosure for achieving the above objective comprises at least one processor, and the at least one processor may enable the terminal to perform the steps of: receiving configuration information indicating a reference signal for a current beam or a reference signal for a new beam from a base station; detecting whether two or more events occur based on the configuration information; transmitting a first uplink (UL) channel for beam reporting to the base station when the occurrence of at least one of the two or more events is detected; and transmitting a second UL channel including a beam report to the base station.

[0021] The base station can confirm at least one of the two or more events based on the first UL channel or the second UL channel.

[0022] When the above setting information indicates a reference signal of the current beam, the above two or more events may include Event-2, which occurs when the quality of the new beam improves by a threshold amount compared to the quality of the current beam, and Event-1, which occurs when the quality of the current beam falls below the threshold amount.

[0023] The reference signal of the current beam indicated by the above setting information may be used commonly for the detection of the occurrence of Event-1 and the occurrence of Event-2, or the reference signal of the current beam indicated by the above setting information may be used for the detection of the occurrence of Event-2, and the reference signal quasi-co-located with the reference signal of the current beam may be used for the detection of the occurrence of Event-1.

[0024] When the above configuration information indicates a reference signal for a new beam, the above two or more events may include Event-2, which occurs when the quality of the new beam improves by a threshold value compared to the quality of the current beam, and Event-7, which occurs when the quality of the new beam improves by a threshold value compared to the reference signal derived from the M-th best quality active TCI (transmission configuration indicator) state.

[0025] The reference signal of the new beam indicated by the above setting information may be used commonly for the detection of the occurrence of Event-1 and the occurrence of Event-7, or the reference signal of the new beam indicated by the above setting information may be used for the detection of the occurrence of Event-2, and a reference signal different from the reference signal of the new beam indicated by the above setting information may be used for the detection of the occurrence of Event-7.

[0026] According to the present disclosure, even if multiple events (e.g., Event-1, Event-2, Event-7, etc.) are defined in a UEI / ED beam reporting operation, the RS definitions of the current beam and the new beam for each event can be set to be identical or different, allowing for flexible response to various situations. When the same RS definition is shared, transmission of the first UL channel is possible by multiple events in the same way, and when different RS definitions are used, control can be made so that reporting is triggered only by a specific event. Furthermore, since the terminal can clearly notify the base station of the triggered event when transmitting the first UL channel, interference between events can be prevented, and reporting reliability can be enhanced by allowing the base station to determine this through a resource-based or subsequent channel. Accordingly, the present disclosure can achieve the effect of ensuring flexibility and accuracy of the beam reporting procedure in a multiple-event environment, and maximizing beam management efficiency by preventing unnecessary reporting or conflicts.

[0027] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a communication system.

[0028] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a communication node constituting a communication system.

[0029] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a first embodiment of communication nodes performing communication.

[0030] FIG. 4a is a block diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a transmission path.

[0031] FIG. 4b is a block diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a receiving path.

[0032] FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a system frame in a communication system.

[0033] FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a subframe in a communication system.

[0034] FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a slot in a communication system.

[0035] FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a time-frequency resource in a communication system.

[0036] FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining Mode A operation to which embodiments of the present disclosure are applied.

[0037] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a Mode B operation to which embodiments of the present disclosure are applied.

[0038] FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining a beam reporting operation according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0039] The present disclosure is capable of various modifications and may have various embodiments, and specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail. However, this is not intended to limit the present disclosure to specific embodiments and should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions that fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0040] Terms such as "first," "second," etc., may be used to describe various components, but said components should not be limited by said terms. Such terms are used solely for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, the first component may be named the second component, and similarly, the second component may be named the first component. The term "and / or" may mean a combination of a plurality of related described items or any of a plurality of related described items.

[0041] In the present disclosure, "at least one of A and B" may mean "at least one of A or B" or "at least one of one or more combinations of A and B". Additionally, in the present disclosure, "at least one of A and B" may mean "at least one of A or B" or "at least one of one or more combinations of A and B".

[0042] In the present disclosure, (re)transmission may mean "transmission," "retransmission," or "transmission and retransmission"; (re)setting may mean "setting," "resetting," or "setting and resetting"; (re)connection may mean "connection," "reconnection," or "connection and reconnection"; and (re)connection may mean "connection," "reconnection," or "connection and reconnection".

[0043] When it is stated that one component is "connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that while it may be directly connected or connected to that other component, there may also be other components in between. On the other hand, when it is stated that one component is "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between.

[0044] The terms used in this disclosure are used merely to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit this disclosure. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this disclosure, terms such as “comprising” or “having” are intended to specify the existence of the features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should be understood as not precluding the existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0045] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant technology, and should not be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined in this disclosure.

[0046] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to the attached drawings. To facilitate overall understanding in describing the present disclosure, the same reference numerals are used for identical components in the drawings, and redundant descriptions of identical components are omitted. Operations according to combinations of embodiments, extensions of embodiments, and / or modifications of embodiments may be performed, as well as the embodiments explicitly described in the present disclosure. The performance of some operations may be omitted, and the order of operations may be changed.

[0047] In the embodiments, even when a method performed at a first communication node among the communication nodes (e.g., transmission or reception of a signal) is described, the corresponding second communication node may perform a method corresponding to the method performed at the first communication node (e.g., reception or transmission of a signal). That is, when the operation of a UE (user equipment) is described, the corresponding base station may perform an operation corresponding to the operation of the UE. Conversely, when the operation of a base station is described, the corresponding UE may perform an operation corresponding to the operation of the base station.

[0048] A base station may be referred to as Node B, evolved Node B, gNode B (next generation node B), gNB, device, apparatus, node, communication node, BTS (base transceiver station), RRH (radio remote head), TRP (transmission reception point), RU (radio unit), RSU (road side unit), radio transceiver, access point, access node, etc. A UE may be referred to as terminal, device, apparatus, node, communication node, end node, access terminal, mobile terminal, station, subscriber station, mobile station, portable subscriber station, OBU (on-broad unit), etc.

[0049] In the present disclosure, signaling may be at least one of upper-layer signaling, MAC signaling, or PHY (physical) signaling. A message used for upper-layer signaling may be referred to as an "upper-layer message" or an "upper-layer signaling message." A message used for MAC signaling may be referred to as a "MAC message" or a "MAC signaling message." A message used for PHY signaling may be referred to as a "PHY message" or a "PHY signaling message." Upper-layer signaling may refer to the transmission and reception operations of system information (e.g., MIB (master information block), SIB (system information block)) and / or RRC messages. MAC signaling may refer to the transmission and reception operations of MAC CE (control element). PHY signaling may refer to the transmission and reception operations of control information (e.g., DCI (downlink control information), UCI (uplink control information), SCI (sidelink control information)).

[0050] In the present disclosure, "setting an operation (e.g., a transmission operation)" may mean that "setting information for said operation (e.g., an information element, a parameter)" and / or "information directing the performance of said operation" is signaled. "Setting an information element (e.g., a parameter)" may mean that said information element is signaled. In the present disclosure, "signal and / or channel" may mean a signal, a channel, or "signal and channel," and "signal" may be used to mean "signal and / or channel."

[0051] The communication networks to which the embodiments are applied are not limited to those described below, and the embodiments may be applied to various communication networks (e.g., 4G communication networks, 5G communication networks, and / or 6G communication networks). Here, the term "communication network" may be used interchangeably with "communication system."

[0052] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a communication system.

[0053] Referring to FIG. 1, the communication system (100) may include a plurality of communication nodes (110-1, 110-2, 110-3, 120-1, 120-2, 130-1, 130-2, 130-3, 130-4, 130-5, 130-6). Additionally, the communication system (100) may further include a core network (e.g., an S-GW (serving-gateway), a P-GW (PDN (packet data network)-gateway), and an MME (mobility management entity)). If the communication system (100) is a 5G communication system (e.g., a new radio (NR) system), the core network may include an AMF (access and mobility management function), a UPF (user plane function), an SMF (session management function), etc.

[0054] Multiple communication nodes (110 to 130) can support communication protocols defined in 3GPP (3rd generation partnership project) standards (e.g., LTE communication protocol, LTE-A communication protocol, NR communication protocol, etc.). Multiple communication nodes (110 to 130) can support CDMA (code division multiple access) technology, WCDMA (wideband CDMA) technology, TDMA (time division multiple access) technology, FDMA (frequency division multiple access) technology, OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing) technology, Filtered OFDM technology, CP (cyclic prefix)-OFDM technology, DFT-s-OFDM (discrete Fourier transform-spread-OFDM) technology, OFDMA (orthogonal frequency division multiple access) technology, SC (single carrier)-FDMA technology, NOMA (non-orthogonal multiple access) technology, GFDM (generalized frequency division multiplexing) technology, FBMC (filter bank multi-carrier) technology, UFMC (universal filtered multi-carrier) technology, SDMA (space division multiple access) technology, etc. Each of the multiple communication nodes may have the following structure.

[0055] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a communication node constituting a communication system.

[0056] Referring to FIG. 2, the communication node (200) may include at least one processor (210), a memory (220), and a transceiver (230) that is connected to a network to perform communication. Additionally, the communication node (200) may further include an input interface device (240), an output interface device (250), a storage device (260), etc. Each component included in the communication node (200) may be connected by a bus (270) to communicate with one another.

[0057] The processor (210) can execute a program command stored in at least one of the memory (220) and the storage device (260). The processor (210) may mean a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or a dedicated processor on which the methods according to embodiments of the present disclosure are performed. Each of the memory (220) and the storage device (260) may be composed of at least one of a volatile storage medium and a non-volatile storage medium. For example, the memory (220) may be composed of at least one of read-only memory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM).

[0058] Referring again to FIG. 1, the communication system (100) may include a plurality of base stations (110-1, 110-2, 110-3, 120-1, 120-2) and a plurality of terminals (130-1, 130-2, 130-3, 130-4, 130-5, 130-6). Each of the first base station (110-1), the second base station (110-2), and the third base station (110-3) may form a macro cell. Each of the fourth base station (120-1) and the fifth base station (120-2) may form a small cell. The fourth base station (120-1), the third terminal (130-3), and the fourth terminal (130-4) may be located within the cell coverage of the first base station (110-1). The second terminal (130-2), the fourth terminal (130-4), and the fifth terminal (130-5) may be located within the cell coverage of the second base station (110-2). The fifth base station (120-2), the fourth terminal (130-4), the fifth terminal (130-5), and the sixth terminal (130-6) may be located within the cell coverage of the third base station (110-3). The first terminal (130-1) may be located within the cell coverage of the fourth base station (120-1). The sixth terminal (130-6) may be located within the cell coverage of the fifth base station (120-2).

[0059] Here, each of the multiple base stations (110-1, 110-2, 110-3, 120-1, 120-2) may be referred to as NB (NodeB), eNB (evolved NodeB), gNB, ABS (advanced base station), HR-BS (high reliability-base station), BTS (base transceiver station), radio base station, radio transceiver, access point, access node, RAS (radio access station), MMR-BS (mobile multihop relay-base station), RS (relay station), ARS (advanced relay station), HR-RS (high reliability-relay station), HNB (home NodeB), HeNB (home eNodeB), RSU (road side unit), RRH (radio remote head), TP (transmission point), TRP (transmission and reception point), etc.

[0060] Each of the multiple terminals (130-1, 130-2, 130-3, 130-4, 130-5, 130-6) may be referred to as UE (user equipment), TE (terminal equipment), AMS (advanced mobile station), HR-MS (high reliability-mobile station), terminal, access terminal, mobile terminal, station, subscriber station, mobile station, portable subscriber station, node, device, OBU (on board unit), etc.

[0061] Meanwhile, each of the multiple base stations (110-1, 110-2, 110-3, 120-1, 120-2) may operate in different frequency bands or in the same frequency band. Each of the multiple base stations (110-1, 110-2, 110-3, 120-1, 120-2) may be connected to each other via an ideal backhaul link or a non-ideal backhaul link, and may exchange information with each other via an ideal backhaul link or a non-ideal backhaul link. Each of the multiple base stations (110-1, 110-2, 110-3, 120-1, 120-2) may be connected to a core network via an ideal backhaul link or a non-ideal backhaul link. Each of the multiple base stations (110-1, 110-2, 110-3, 120-1, 120-2) can transmit a signal received from the core network to the corresponding terminal (130-1, 130-2, 130-3, 130-4, 130-5, 130-6), and can transmit a signal received from the corresponding terminal (130-1, 130-2, 130-3, 130-4, 130-5, 130-6) to the core network.

[0062] In addition, each of the multiple base stations (110-1, 110-2, 110-3, 120-1, 120-2) can support MIMO transmission (e.g., SU (single user)-MIMO, MU (multi user)-MIMO, massive MIMO, etc.), CoMP (coordinated multipoint) transmission, carrier aggregation (CA) transmission, transmission in an unlicensed band, sidelink communication (e.g., D2D (device to device communication), ProSe (proximity services)), IoT (Internet of Things) communication, dual connectivity (DC), etc. Here, each of the plurality of terminals (130-1, 130-2, 130-3, 130-4, 130-5, 130-6) can perform an operation corresponding to the base station (110-1, 110-2, 110-3, 120-1, 120-2) and an operation supported by the base station (110-1, 110-2, 110-3, 120-1, 120-2). For example, the second base station (110-2) can transmit a signal to the fourth terminal (130-4) based on the SU-MIMO method, and the fourth terminal (130-4) can receive a signal from the second base station (110-2) based on the SU-MIMO method. Alternatively, the second base station (110-2) can transmit a signal to the fourth terminal (130-4) and the fifth terminal (130-5) based on the MU-MIMO method, and each of the fourth terminal (130-4) and the fifth terminal (130-5) can receive a signal from the second base station (110-2) by the MU-MIMO method.

[0063] Each of the first base station (110-1), the second base station (110-2), and the third base station (110-3) can transmit a signal to the fourth terminal (130-4) based on the CoMP method, and the fourth terminal (130-4) can receive a signal from the first base station (110-1), the second base station (110-2), and the third base station (110-3) by the CoMP method. Each of the multiple base stations (110-1, 110-2, 110-3, 120-1, 120-2) can transmit and receive signals based on the CA method with terminals (130-1, 130-2, 130-3, 130-4, 130-5, 130-6) within its cell coverage area. Each of the first base station (110-1), the second base station (110-2), and the third base station (110-3) can control sidelink communication between the fourth terminal (130-4) and the fifth terminal (130-5), and each of the fourth terminal (130-4) and the fifth terminal (130-5) can perform sidelink communication by controlling each of the second base station (110-2) and the third base station (110-3).

[0064] Meanwhile, communication nodes performing communication in a communication network may be configured as follows. The communication node shown in FIG. 3 may be a specific embodiment of the communication node shown in FIG. 2.

[0065] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a first embodiment of communication nodes performing communication.

[0066] Referring to FIG. 3, the first communication node (300a) and the second communication node (300b) may each be a base station or a UE. The first communication node (300a) may transmit a signal to the second communication node (300b). A transmission processor (311) included in the first communication node (300a) may receive data (e.g., a data unit) from a data source (310). The transmission processor (311) may receive control information from a controller (316). The control information may include at least one of system information, RRC setting information (e.g., information set by RRC signaling), MAC control information (e.g., MAC CE), or PHY control information (e.g., DCI, SCI).

[0067] The transmitting processor (311) can generate data symbol(s) by performing processing operations on data (e.g., encoding operations, symbol mapping operations, etc.). The transmitting processor (311) can generate control symbol(s) by performing processing operations on control information (e.g., encoding operations, symbol mapping operations, etc.). Additionally, the transmitting processor (311) can generate synchronization / reference symbol(s) for synchronization signals and / or reference signals.

[0068] The Tx MIMO processor (312) can perform spatial processing operations (e.g., precoding operations) on data symbol(s), control symbol(s), and / or synchronization / reference symbol(s). The output of the Tx MIMO processor (312) (e.g., a symbol stream) can be provided to modulators (MODs) included in transceivers (313a to 313t). The modulators (MODs) can perform processing operations on the symbol stream to generate modulated symbols and perform additional processing operations on the modulated symbols (e.g., analog conversion operations, amplification operations, filtering operations, up-conversion operations) to generate signals. The signals generated by the modulators (MODs) of the transceivers (313a to 313t) can be transmitted through antennas (314a to 314t).

[0069] Signals transmitted by the first communication node (300a) can be received at the antennas (364a to 364r) of the second communication node (300b). Signals received at the antennas (364a to 364r) can be provided to demodulators (DEMODs) included in the transceivers (363a to 363r). The demodulators (DEMODs) can obtain samples by performing processing operations on the signals (e.g., filtering, amplification, down-conversion, digital conversion). The demodulators (DEMODs) can obtain symbols by performing additional processing operations on the samples. The MIMO detector (362) can perform MIMO detection operations on the symbols. The receiving processor (361) can perform processing operations on the symbols (e.g., deinterleaving, decoding). The output of the receiving processor (361) can be provided to the data sink (360) and the controller (366). For example, data can be provided to the data sink (360), and control information can be provided to the controller (366).

[0070] Meanwhile, the second communication node (300b) can transmit a signal to the first communication node (300a). The transmission processor (368) included in the second communication node (300b) can receive data (e.g., a data unit) from the data source (367) and can generate data symbol(s) by performing a processing operation on the data. The transmission processor (368) can receive control information from the controller (366) and can generate control symbol(s) by performing a processing operation on the control information. Additionally, the transmission processor (368) can generate reference symbol(s) by performing a processing operation on a reference signal.

[0071] The Tx MIMO processor (369) can perform spatial processing operations (e.g., precoding operations) on data symbol(s), control symbol(s), and / or reference symbol(s). The output of the Tx MIMO processor (369) (e.g., a symbol stream) can be provided to modulators (MODs) included in transceivers (363a to 363t). The modulators (MODs) can perform processing operations on the symbol stream to generate modulated symbols and perform additional processing operations on the modulated symbols (e.g., analog conversion operations, amplification operations, filtering operations, up-conversion operations) to generate signals. The signals generated by the modulators (MODs) of the transceivers (363a to 363t) can be transmitted through antennas (364a to 364t).

[0072] Signals transmitted by the second communication node (300b) can be received at the antennas (314a to 314r) of the first communication node (300a). Signals received at the antennas (314a to 314r) can be provided to demodulators (DEMODs) included in the transceivers (313a to 313r). The demodulators (DEMODs) can obtain samples by performing processing operations on the signals (e.g., filtering operation, amplification operation, down-conversion operation, digital conversion operation). The demodulators (DEMODs) can obtain symbols by performing additional processing operations on the samples. The MIMO detector (320) can perform MIMO detection operations on the symbols. The receiving processor (319) can perform processing operations on the symbols (e.g., deinterleaving operation, decoding operation). The output of the receiving processor (319) can be provided to the data sink (318) and the controller (316). For example, data can be provided to the data sink (318), and control information can be provided to the controller (316).

[0073] The memories (315 and 365) may store data, control information, and / or program code. The scheduler (317) may perform scheduling operations for communication. The processors (311, 312, 319, 361, 368, 369) and controllers (316, 366) shown in FIG. 3 may be the processor (210) shown in FIG. 2 and may be used to perform the methods described in this disclosure.

[0074] FIG. 4a is a block diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a transmission path, and FIG. 4b is a block diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a reception path.

[0075] Referring to FIGS. 4a and 4b, a transmission path (410) may be implemented at a communication node that transmits a signal, and a reception path (420) may be implemented at a communication node that receives a signal. The transmission path (410) may include a channel coding and modulation block (411), an S-to-P (serial-to-parallel) block (512), an N IFFT (Inverse Fast Fourier Transform) block (413), a P-to-S (parallel-to-serial) block (414), a CP (cyclic prefix) addition block (415), and an UC (up-converter) (UC) (416). The reception path (420) may include a DC (down-converter) (421), a CP removal block (422), an S-to-P block (423), an N FFT block (424), a P-to-S block (425), and a channel decoding and demodulation block (426). Here, N can be a natural number.

[0076] Information bits in the transmission path (410) can be input to the channel coding and modulation block (411). The channel coding and modulation block (411) can perform coding operations (e.g., LDPC (low-density parity check) (LDPC) coding operations, polar coding operations, etc.) and modulation operations (e.g., QPSK (Quadrature Phase Shift Keying), QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation), etc.) on the information bits. The output of the channel coding and modulation block (411) may be a sequence of modulation symbols.

[0077] The S-to-P block (412) can convert modulated symbols in the frequency domain into parallel symbol streams to generate N parallel symbol streams. N can be the IFFT size or the FFT size. The N IFFT block (413) can generate signals in the time domain by performing an IFFT operation on the N parallel symbol streams. The P-to-S block (414) can convert the output of the N IFFT block (413) (e.g., parallel signals) into a serial signal to generate a serial signal.

[0078] The CP addition block (415) can insert CP into the signal. The UC (416) can up-convert the frequency of the output of the CP addition block (415) to an RF (radio frequency) frequency. Additionally, the output of the CP addition block (415) can be filtered in the baseband before up-conversion.

[0079] A signal transmitted from the transmission path (410) can be input to the reception path (420). The operation in the reception path (420) may be the inverse operation of the operation in the transmission path (410). The DC (421) may down-convert the frequency of the received signal to a baseband frequency. The CP removal block (422) may remove CP from the signal. The output of the CP removal block (422) may be a serial signal. The S-to-P block (423) may convert the serial signal into parallel signals. The N FFT block (424) may generate N parallel signals by performing an FFT algorithm. The P-to-S block (425) may convert the parallel signals into a sequence of modulation symbols. The channel decoding and demodulation block (426) may perform a demodulation operation on the modulation symbols and perform a decoding operation on the result of the demodulation operation to restore the data.

[0080] In FIGS. 4a and 4b, Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) and Inverse DFT (IDFT) may be used instead of FFT and IFFT. In FIGS. 4a and 4b, each of the blocks (e.g., components) may be implemented by at least one of hardware, software, or firmware. For example, in FIGS. 4a and 4b, some blocks may be implemented by software, and the remaining blocks may be implemented by hardware or a "combination of hardware and software." In FIGS. 4a and 4b, one block may be subdivided into multiple blocks, multiple blocks may be integrated into one block, some blocks may be omitted, and blocks supporting other functions may be added.

[0081] FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a system frame in a communication system.

[0082] Referring to FIG. 5, time resources in a communication system can be divided into frames. For example, system frames can be set consecutively in the time domain of the communication system. The length of a system frame can be 10 ms (millisecond). The system frame number (SFN) can be set from #0 to #1023. In this case, 1024 system frames can be repeated in the time domain of the communication system. For example, the SFN of a system frame after system frame #1023 can be #0.

[0083] A single system frame may contain two half frames. The length of a single half frame may be 5ms. A half frame located at the beginning of the system frame may be referred to as "Half Frame #0", and a half frame located at the end of the system frame may be referred to as "Half Frame #1". A system frame may contain 10 subframes. The length of a single subframe may be 1ms. Within a single system frame, the 10 subframes may be referred to as "Subframe #0-9".

[0084] FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a subframe in a communication system.

[0085] Referring to FIG. 6, one subframe may include n slots, where n is a natural number. Thus, one subframe may consist of one or more slots.

[0086] FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a slot in a communication system.

[0087] Referring to FIG. 7, a slot may contain one or more symbols. A slot illustrated in FIG. 7 may contain 14 symbols. The length of the slot may vary depending on the number of symbols included in the slot and the length of the symbols. Alternatively, the length of the slot may vary depending on the numerology.

[0088] Numerals applied to physical signals and channels in a communication system may be variable. Numerals may be variable to meet various technical requirements of the communication system. In a communication system where CP (cyclic prefix) based OFDM waveform technology is applied, numerals may include subcarrier spacing and CP length (or CP type). Table 1 may be a first embodiment of a method for configuring numerals for a CP-OFDM based communication system. Depending on the frequency band in which the communication system operates, at least some of the numerals in Table 1 may be supported. Additionally, numerals not listed in Table 1 may be further supported in the communication system.

[0089] Subcarrier Spacing 15kHz 30kHz 60kHz 120kHz 240kHz 480kHz OFDM Symbol Length (μs) 66.733.316.78.34.22.1 CP Length (μs) 4.762.381.190.600.300.151 ms Number of OFDM Symbols within 142856112224448

[0090]

[0091] When the subcarrier spacing is 15 kHz (e.g., μ=0), the slot length may be 1 ms. In this case, one system frame may contain 10 slots. When the subcarrier spacing is 30 kHz (e.g., μ=1), the slot length may be 0.5 ms. In this case, one system frame may contain 20 slots.

[0092] When the subcarrier spacing is 60 kHz (e.g., μ=2), the slot length may be 0.25 ms. In this case, one system frame may contain 40 slots. When the subcarrier spacing is 120 kHz (e.g., μ=3), the slot length may be 0.125 ms. In this case, one system frame may contain 80 slots. When the subcarrier spacing is 240 kHz (e.g., μ=4), the slot length may be 0.0625 ms. In this case, one system frame may contain 160 slots.

[0093] A symbol can be set as a downlink (DL) symbol, a flexible (FL) symbol, or an uplink (UL) symbol. A slot consisting only of a DL symbol may be referred to as a "DL slot," a slot consisting only of an FL symbol may be referred to as a "FL slot," and a slot consisting only of a UL symbol may be referred to as a "UL slot."

[0094] The slot format can be semi-fixed by upper-layer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling). Information indicating the semi-fixed slot format may be included in system information, and the semi-fixed slot format can be set cell-specifically. Additionally, the semi-fixed slot format can be additionally set per terminal through terminal-specific upper-layer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling). The flexible symbols of the cell-specific slot format can be overridden as downlink symbols or uplink symbols by the terminal-specific upper-layer signaling. Furthermore, the slot format can be dynamically indicated by physical layer signaling (e.g., the SFI (slot format indicator) included in the DCI). The semi-fixed slot format can be overridden by the dynamically indicated slot format. For example, the semi-fixed flexible symbols can be overridden as downlink symbols or uplink symbols by the SFI.

[0095] The reference signal may be a CSI-RS (channel state information-reference signal), SRS (sounding reference signal), DM-RS (demodulation-reference signal), PT-RS (phase tracking-reference signal), etc. The channel may be a PBCH (physical broadcast channel), PDCCH (physical downlink control channel), PDSCH (physical downlink shared channel), PUCCH (physical uplink control channel), PUSCH (physical uplink shared channel), PSCCH (physical sidelink control channel), PSSCH (physical sidelink shared channel), etc. In the present disclosure, the control channel may mean PDCCH, PUCCH, or PSCCH, and the data channel may mean PDSCH, PUSCH, or PSSCH.

[0096] FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a time-frequency resource in a communication system.

[0097] Referring to FIG. 8, a resource consisting of one symbol (e.g., an OFDM symbol) in the time domain and one subcarrier in the frequency domain can be defined as a "RE (resource element)." A resource consisting of one OFDM symbol in the time domain and K subcarriers in the frequency domain can be defined as a "REG (resource element group)." A REG can include K REs. A REG can be used as the basic unit of resource allocation in the frequency domain. K can be a natural number. For example, K can be 12. N can be a natural number. In the slot illustrated in FIG. 7, N can be 14. N OFDM symbols can be used as the basic unit of resource allocation in the time domain.

[0098] In the present disclosure, RB may mean a common RB (CRB). Alternatively, RB may mean a PRB or a virtual RB (VRB). In a communication system, a CRB may mean an RB that constitutes a set of consecutive RBs (e.g., a common RB grid) based on a reference frequency (e.g., point A). A carrier and / or bandwidth portion may be placed on the common RB grid. That is, the carrier and / or bandwidth portion may be composed of CRB(s). An RB or CRB constituting the bandwidth portion may be referred to as a PRB, and within the bandwidth portion, a CRB index may be appropriately converted to a PRB index.

[0099] Downlink data may be transmitted via PDSCH. A base station may transmit configuration information of the PDSCH (e.g., scheduling information) to a terminal via PDCCH. A terminal may obtain the configuration information of the PDSCH by receiving the PDCCH (e.g., downlink control information (DCI)). For example, the configuration information of the PDSCH may include a modulation coding scheme (MCS) used for transmitting and receiving the PDSCH, time resource information of the PDSCH, frequency resource information of the PDSCH, feedback resource information for the PDSCH, etc. PDSCH may refer to a radio resource where downlink data is transmitted and received. Alternatively, PDSCH may refer to the downlink data itself. PDCCH may refer to a radio resource where downlink control information (e.g., DCI) is transmitted and received. Alternatively, PDCCH may refer to the downlink control information itself.

[0100] The terminal may perform a monitoring operation for the PDCCH to receive the PDSCH transmitted from the base station. The base station may notify the terminal of configuration information for the monitoring operation of the PDCCH using a higher-layer message (e.g., a radio resource control (RRC) message). The configuration information for the monitoring operation of the PDCCH may include CORESET (control resource set) information and search space information.

[0101] CORESET information may include PDCCH DMRS (demodulation reference signal) information, PDCCH precoding information, PDCCH occasion information, etc. The PDCCH DMRS may be a DMRS used to demodulate the PDCCH. A PDCCH occasion may be an area where the PDCCH can exist. That is, a PDCCH occasion may be an area where DCI can be transmitted. A PDCCH occasion may be referred to as a PDCCH candidate. PDCCH occasion information may include time resource information and frequency resource information of the PDCCH occasion. In the time domain, the length of the PDCCH occasion may be indicated in symbol units. In the frequency domain, the size of the PDCCH occasion may be indicated in RB units (e.g., PRB (physical resource block) units or CRB (common resource block) units).

[0102] The search space information may include a CORESET ID (identifier) ​​associated with the search space, the period of PDCCH monitoring, and / or an offset. The period and offset of PDCCH monitoring may each be specified in slot units. Additionally, the search space information may further include the index of the symbol where the PDCCH monitoring operation begins.

[0103] A base station may configure a Bandwidth Part (BWP) for downlink communication. BWPs may be configured differently for each terminal. The base station may notify the terminal of the BWP configuration information using upper-layer signaling. Upper-layer signaling may refer to "transmission operations of system information" and / or "transmission operations of Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages." One or more BWPs may be configured for a single terminal. The terminal may receive BWP configuration information from the base station and identify the BWP(s) configured by the base station based on the BWP configuration information. If multiple BWPs are configured for downlink communication, the base station may activate one or more of the multiple BWPs. The base station may transmit the configuration information of the activated BWP(s) to the terminal using at least one of upper-layer signaling, a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE), or a DCI. The base station may perform downlink communication using the activated BWP(s). The terminal can identify the activated BWP(s) by receiving configuration information of the activated BWP(s) from the base station, and can perform a downlink reception operation on the activated BWP(s).

[0104]

[0105] In accordance with the Work Item Description (WID) for 3GPP Rel-19 NR MIMO discussions, discussions are underway regarding improvements to intra-cell and inter-cell beam management. These improvements primarily target the FR2 band and single transmission / reception point (sTRP) scenarios, aiming to reduce overhead or latency while utilizing existing legacy CSI measurement and reporting configuration procedures.

[0106] To this end, UE-initiated (UEI) and event-driven (ED) beam management procedures are being discussed. The beam management methods defined up to Rel-18 consisted of network-based operations. That is, in network-driven beam management, the network (i.e., the base station) can instruct the terminal to switch to a specific beam for DL ​​reception or UL transmission. In this case, since the base station receives a measurement report from the terminal and issues instructions based on that report, the base station cannot identify the optimal beam until it receives the measurement report transmitted by the terminal.

[0107] If beam management operations are initiated at the terminal side, which can detect changes in the beam first, latency (e.g., the time required for a base station to instruct a terminal to report a measurement and to receive a measurement report from the terminal based on that instruction) and signal overhead (e.g., the overhead of the signal in which the network instructs the terminal to report a measurement) can be reduced compared to network-based beam management operations.

[0108]

[0109] Meanwhile, at 3GPP RAN 1 meetings (RAN #116 and RAN #116-bis), outlined beam reporting transmission procedures for UEI / ED beam reporting were approved.

[0110] First, the beam report transmission procedure is broadly divided into Mode A and Mode B, and an overview of the procedure for each mode is as follows.

[0111] First, Mode A is a method in which the base station dynamically schedules UCI (uplink control information) for beam reporting, and can be performed in the following three steps.

[0112] Step 1: The terminal may transmit a first UL channel requesting resources for a second UL channel to transmit a beam report. The first UL channel consists of a PUCCH (i.e., first PUCCH) containing one bit information or multi-bit information, and the PUCCH may follow the type of an existing SR (scheduling req terminal st) or a new UCI type.

[0113] Step 2: The terminal can detect a DCI format indicating a resource of the second UL channel. In this case, a new DCI format is not introduced.

[0114] Step 3: The terminal can transmit a beam report on the second UL channel. In this case, PUCCH, PUSCH, or both can be used as the second UL channel.

[0115] Mode A is a basic function of the terminal, and all terminals that support UEI / ED beam reporting must support this function.

[0116] Meanwhile, Mode B is a method of transmitting UCI from a pre-configured resource for a second UL channel, and can be performed in the following two steps.

[0117] Step 1: The terminal may transmit the first UL channel to notify that a beam report will be transmitted on the second UL channel. The first UL channel consists of a PUCCH (i.e., first PUCCH) containing one bit information or multi-bit information, and the PUCCH may follow the type of the existing SR (scheduling request terminal st) or the new UCI type.

[0118] Step 2: The terminal can transmit a beam report on the second UL channel. As with Mode A, PUCCH, PUSCH, or both can be used as the second UL channel.

[0119] In Mode B, the notification in Step 1 and the beam report in Step 2 are transmitted as separate report instances, and it is not determined whether the terminal receives confirmation information in response to each step in Mode A and Mode B.

[0120] In addition, cross-CC (component carrier) beam reporting can be supported in both Mode A and Mode B in the above procedures.

[0121]

[0122] Meanwhile, the following events are being discussed as triggering the aforementioned UEI / ED beam reporting.

[0123] -Event-1: The quality of the current beam (e.g., L1-RSRP, etc.) falls below a specific threshold.

[0124] -Event-2: The quality of at least one new beam is improved by a threshold amount compared to the current beam.

[0125] -Event-3: New beam quality exceeds a specific threshold.

[0126] -Event-4: Current beam quality drops below threshold 1, and at least one new beam quality rises above threshold 2.

[0127] -Event-5: The absolute difference between the quality of the current beam and the quality of at least one new beam becomes smaller than a specific threshold.

[0128] -Event-6: The current beam is not included in the top K (>1) beams among the beams configured for measurement and reporting.

[0129] -Event-7: The quality of at least one new beam (L1-RSRP, etc.) is improved by a specific threshold compared to the RS derived from the active TCI state with the Mth best quality.

[0130] -Event-8: The quality of M (>1) new beams (L1-RSRP, etc.) has improved by a specific threshold compared to the current beam.

[0131] -Event-9: The quality of at least one new beam (L1-RSRP, etc.) is improved by a specific threshold compared to the configured reference RS (SSB or CSI-RS possible).

[0132]

[0133] As described above, for UEI / ED beam reporting operations, a process of first transmitting information from the terminal to the base station (Step 1) is required in all modes. In the case of Mode A, where resources for beam reporting are not pre-allocated, the terminal can request resources for beam reporting from the base station. In the case of Mode B, where resources for beam reporting are pre-allocated, the terminal can notify the base station that it intends to use the pre-allocated resources for beam reporting. In Step 1, the terminal can transmit the relevant information to the base station via PUCCH, and the information may consist of 1-bit information or multi-bit information. If the information consists of 1 bit, it may simply be information requesting resources from the base station or information notifying the fact that pre-allocated resources are being used. On the other hand, if the information consists of multi-bit information, it may be used for various purposes in addition to information requesting resources or notifying the fact that pre-allocated resources are being used.

[0134]

[0135] FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining Mode A operation to which embodiments of the present disclosure are applied.

[0136] Referring to FIG. 9, the terminal can detect at least one event (S910). In this case, the terminal can detect at least one event among the previously described event(s) (e.g., Event-1 to Event-9). When at least one event is detected, the terminal requests resources for beam reporting through the first UL channel (i.e., first PUCCH) (S920), and the base station that received the first UL channel may indicate resources for the second UL channel to be used by the terminal to transmit the beam report through the DCI (S930). Subsequently, the terminal can transmit the second UL channel including the beam report using the said resources (S940).

[0137] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a Mode B operation to which embodiments of the present disclosure are applied.

[0138] Referring to FIG. 10, the terminal can detect at least one event (S1010). In this case, the terminal can detect at least one event among the previously described event(s) (e.g., Event-1 to Event-9). When at least one event is detected, the terminal can notify the base station that it is transmitting the second UL channel(s) using a pre-configured resource through the first UL channel (i.e., first PUCCH) (S1020). Subsequently, the terminal can transmit the second UL channel(s), including a beam report, to the base station using the pre-configured resource (S1040).

[0139] In this case, the terminal may transmit the second UL channel(s) after receiving an acknowledgment message (e.g., an ACK (acknowledgement) message or a notification message consisting of a 1-bit indicator) (i.e., S1330 of FIG. 13) indicating that the first PUCCH has been received from the base station. Alternatively, the terminal may transmit the second UL channel(s) at a slot or symbol after a predetermined offset from the time point associated with the transmission of the first PUCCH (e.g., the slot or symbol in which the first PUCCH (e.g., the last symbol constituting the first PUCCH) was transmitted) without receiving an acknowledgment message for the first PUCCH from the base station. For example, if it is not confirmed that the first PUCCH was not normally received by the base station until the predetermined offset has elapsed from the time point associated with the transmission of the first PUCCH, the terminal may transmit the second UL channel(s) at a slot or symbol after a predetermined offset from the time point associated with the transmission of the first PUCCH. In this case, the offset may be set from the base station to the terminal in units of symbols, subslots, slots, subframes, or absolute time, or may be predefined in the technical specifications. Meanwhile, since there may be cases where the terminal does not receive the acknowledgment message even though the base station has transmitted the acknowledgment message, the base station may transmit the acknowledgment message one or more times.

[0140]

[0141] As described above, UEI / ED beam management operations can be triggered based on the quality of the current beam and / or the quality of the new beam. For example, if a predefined condition is satisfied by comparing the quality of the current beam and the quality of the new beam, UEI / ED beam management operations can be performed by the terminal transmitting the first UL channel (i.e., first PUCCH) to the base station. In this case, it is necessary to define which reference signal (RS) or RS type will be used to measure the beam quality in order to measure the quality of the current beam or the new beam. As previously described, the method for setting the RS for measuring the quality of the current beam or the new beam for Event-2 triggering has been defined. For example, the RS for measuring the quality of the current beam for Event-2 triggering may be a QCL RS of the indicated TCI state. As another example, the RS for measuring the quality of the current beam of Event-2 can be the QCL RS of the indicated TCI state and the QCL (quasi-co-located) SSB.

[0142]

[0143] Meanwhile, regarding the reference signals for determining the triggering of events that trigger the aforementioned UEI / ED beam reporting, the following consensus has been reached.

[0144] First, the following agreements were reached at the RAN1 116-bis meeting.

[0145] With respect to UEI / ED beam reporting, at least Event-2 is supported for trigger event detection for beam reporting, and at least L1-RSRP is supported as the quality metric used for Event-2 (however, other quality metrics (e.g., L1-SINR) are not excluded).

[0146] Regarding the RS measurement of the new beam for Event-2, one or more of the following may be selected.

[0147] -Option-3a (Explicit Method): The RS of the new beam is explicitly configured by RRC (e.g., reusing existing RS measurement settings or in TCI-State) or MAC-CE.

[0148] -Option-3b (Implicit method): The RS of the new beam is implicitly derived from the QCL RS of the activated TCI state

[0149] -Option-3c (Implicit method): The RS of the new beam is implicitly derived from the QCL RS of the configured TCI state

[0150] In implicit modes, if there are two QCL RSs in a single TCI state, the measured RS is derived from the RS associated with QCL-TypeD.

[0151] With regard to UEI / ED beam reporting, the 'current beam' of Event-2 is defined as the beam corresponding to the indicated TCI state.

[0152] Regarding the RS measurement of the current beam for Event-2, Option-2a is supported:

[0153] -Option-2a (Implicit method): The RS of the current beam is implicitly derived from the QCL RS of the indicated TCI state

[0154] The RS of the current beam may be a QCL RS of the indicated TCI state or an SSB that is in a QCL relationship with the said QCL RS. Meanwhile, the application of Option-2c, an explicit method in which the RS of the current beam is explicitly configured as an SSB or CSI-RS by RRC or MAC-CE, may be further considered.

[0155]

[0156] Next, the following agreements were reached at the RAN1 117 meeting.

[0157] Regarding the RS measurement of the current beam for Event-2, Option-2a supports both of the following two methods.

[0158] -Scheme-1: The current beam's RS is the QCL RS of the indicated TCI state.

[0159] -Scheme-2: The RS of the current beam is the SSB that is in a QCL relationship with the QCL RS of the indicated TCI state.

[0160] The network selects and activates either Scheme-1 or Scheme-2, and said selection is made via explicit RRC parameters or an implicit method (e.g., if the RS of the new beam is CSI-RS, activate Scheme-1; otherwise, activate Scheme-2).

[0161] Meanwhile, the activation of Scheme-1 or Scheme-2 must ensure the same RS type for RS measurements of the current beam and the new beam, and the above QCL RS is the RS associated with QCL-TypeD if there are two QCL RSs in the indicated TCI state.

[0162] Regarding the RS measurement of the new beam for Event-2, at least Option-3a is supported.

[0163] -Option-3a (Explicit Method): The RS of the new beam is explicitly configured

[0164] -Option-3b: The RS of the new beam is implicitly derived from the QCL RS of the activated TCI state

[0165] -Option-3c: The RS of the new beam is implicitly derived from the QCL RS of the TCI states belonging to a subset of the existing TCI state list configured by the RRC.

[0166]

[0167] Next, the following agreements were reached at the RAN1 118 meeting.

[0168] Regarding the RS measurement of the current beam for Event-2, one of the following is selected to handle the case where only one TRS is configured in the indicated TCI state in addition to Scheme-1 and Scheme-2 in Option-2a.

[0169] -Option-1: Introduction of additional method ― The current beam's RS may be a beam management CSI-RS derived from the QCL RS of the indicated TCI state

[0170] -Option-2: Add support for TRS as the current beam's measurement RS for use in L1-RSRP determination.

[0171] -Option-3: Introduction of additional method ― The RS of the current beam is explicitly configured by the RRC or MAC-CE (Option-2c of the RAN1 #116b agreement)

[0172] -Option-4: No further improvements

[0173]

[0174] Next, the following agreements were reached at the RAN1 118-bis meeting.

[0175] Regarding the RS measurement of the current beam for Event-2, there is no consensus in RAN1#118bis on further improvements to handle the case where only one TRS is configured in the indicated TCI state in addition to Scheme-1 and Scheme-2 in Option-2a.

[0176] -Option-1: Introduction of additional method ― The current beam's RS may be a beam management CSI-RS derived from the QCL RS of the indicated TCI state

[0177] -Option-2: Add support for TRS as the current beam's measurement RS for use in L1-RSRP determination.

[0178] -Option-3: Introduction of additional method ― The RS of the current beam is explicitly configured by the RRC or MAC-CE (Option-2c of the RAN1 #116b agreement)

[0179] If only one TRS is configured in the indicated TCI state, the network activates by selecting either Scheme-1 (operational assumption) or Scheme-2; if Scheme-1 is used, the UE assumes that the CSI-RS resource in the indicated TCI state is configured in the set of CSI-RS resources for which iteration is configured.

[0180] Regarding the RS measurement of the current beam for Event-2, if only one TRS is configured in the TCI state indicated in Option-2a, the network is activated by selecting either Scheme-1 (operational assumption) or Scheme-2.

[0181] Regarding the RS measurement of the current beam for Event-2, the activation of Scheme-1 or Scheme-2 in Option-2a must ensure the same RS type for the RS measurement of the current beam and the new beam, in which case the RS type includes the SSB and CSI-RS configured in the CSI-RS resource set configured for repetition.

[0182] Regarding the measurement of the RS of the current beam for Event-2, if the network in Option-2a enables either Scheme-1 or Scheme-2, Scheme-1 is enabled if the RS of the new beam is a CSI-RS configured in the set of CSI-RS resources configured for repetition, and Scheme-2 is enabled otherwise.

[0183]

[0184] As can be seen from the above agreements, for Event-2, RS and RS types are defined for measuring the quality of the current beam and the new beam (i.e., for RS measurement). Meanwhile, other events (e.g., Event-1, Event-7, and / or newly defined events) in addition to Event-2 may be defined as triggering events for the transmission of the first UL channel (i.e., first PUCCH). For example, in the case of Event-7, the first UL channel may be transmitted if the quality of at least one new beam (e.g., L1-RSRP) is better than the quality of the RS of the active TCI state with the Xth best quality. In this case, the new beams to be measured may be beams from a configured TCI state pool (or a subset of the TCI state pool). For Event-2, the RS of the new beam may be explicitly configured as RRC signaling or MAC-CE signaling. In the case of Event-7, since the quality of one or more new beams measured must be compared with the quality measured against the RS standard of the active TCI state, a definition of the new beam for Event-7 may need to be added. As another example, in the case of Event-1, if the quality of the current beam is worse than a certain threshold, the first UL channel may be transmitted. In the case of Event-2, the QCL-RS of the indicated TCI state may become the RS of the current beam (scheme-1), or the QCL-RS of the indicated TCI state and the QCLed SSB may become the RS of the current beam (scheme-2). In the case of Event-1, since it is judged solely by the quality of the current beam, the RS of the current beam may be defined in the same way as in Event-2, or the application of Event-1 may vary depending on how the RS of the current beam (or the RS of the new beam) of Event-2 is set.

[0185]

[0186] Current beam RS settings and multiple events

[0187] As described above, if two or more events are defined for the UEI / ED beam reporting operation (e.g., Event-2 and Event-1 (and / or Event-7)), the definition of the RS for the current beam for each event may be set to be the same as that of Event-2. That is, if the RS for the current beam is defined identically in Event-2 and Event-1, the first UL channel may be transmitted by Event-2 and Event-1. Alternatively, the RS for the current beam may be defined differently for Event-2 and Event-1. That is, the option (or scheme) for determining the RS for the current beam in Event-2 may be applied as is to determine the RS for the current beam in Event-1, or the RS for the current beam in Event-1 may be set differently from the RS for the current beam in Event-2. In this case, the UEI / ED beam reporting operation may be triggered by Event-1 only if the definition of the RS for the current beam in Event-1 is the same as that of Event-2. For example, if the definition of RS for the current beam in Event-1 is set to scheme-1, Event-1 can be applied only when the RS for the current beam in Event-2 is enabled as scheme-1. Alternatively, to reflect the characteristics of Event-1, which is judged based solely on the quality of the current beam, scheme-2, which can additionally measure SSB in addition to CSI-RS to measure the current beam more accurately, can be defined as the RS for the current beam in Event-1.

[0188] That is, each event may operate based on the definition of RS for a different current beam. In this case, the terminal may provide information indicating to the base station which the first UL channel (i.e., first PUCCH) was transmitted due to a certain event, and said information may be transmitted by being included in the first UL channel. Alternatively, said information may be identified by the base station based on the resources (time and / or frequency resources) through which the first UL channel is transmitted. Alternatively, said information may be identified by the base station based on the second channel transmitted following the first UL channel. That is, said information may be transmitted by being included in the second channel transmitted following the first UL channel, or may be identified by the base station based on the resources (time and / or frequency resources) through which the second channel is transmitted.

[0189] Meanwhile, as a default operation, the terminal may trigger the UEI / ED beam reporting operation based on only one event (e.g., Event-2).

[0190]

[0191] New beam RS settings and multiple events

[0192] As described above, if two or more events are defined for the UEI / ED beam reporting operation (e.g., Event-2 and Event-7 (and / or Event-1)), the definitions for the RS for the current beam and the RS for the new beam for each event may be applied identically to Event-2. That is, if the RS for the new beam (and / or current beam) of Event-2 is applied identically to the RS for the new beam (and / or current beam) of Event-7, the first UL channel may be transmitted by Event-2 and Event-7. Alternatively, the RS for the new beam may be defined differently in Event-7 and Event-2. That is, the option for determining the RS for the new beam in Event-2 may be applied to Event-7 as is, or the RS for the new beam in Event-7 may be set differently from the RS for the new beam in Event-2. In this case, the UEI / ED beam reporting operation may be triggered by Event-7 only if the definition of the RS for the new beam in Event-7 is identical to that of Event-2. For example, if the RS definition for the new beam in Event-7 is set in the explicit manner of Option-3a, Event-7 may be applied only if the RS for the new beam in Event-2 is Option-3a. Alternatively, in the case of Event-2, there may be cases where the RS between the current beam and the new beam is set differently. In such cases where the first PUCCH transmission caused by Event-2 is impossible, the RS setting of the new beam may be set to be identical to the RS setting of the current beam to ensure that the action caused by Event-7 is performed. Alternatively, cases where the RS of the current beam and the new beam are different in Event-2 (e.g., the current beam is CSI-RS and the new beam is SSB) may not be allowed.

[0193] That is, each event may operate based on the definition of RS for a different new beam. In this case, the terminal may provide information indicating to the base station which the first UL channel (i.e., first PUCCH) was transmitted due to a certain event, and said information may be transmitted by being included in the first UL channel. Alternatively, said information may be identified by the base station based on the resources (time and / or frequency resources) through which the first UL channel is transmitted. Alternatively, said information may be identified by the base station based on the second channel transmitted following the first UL channel. That is, said information may be transmitted by being included in the second channel transmitted following the first UL channel, or may be identified by the base station based on the resources (time and / or frequency resources) through which the second channel is transmitted.

[0194] Meanwhile, as a default operation, the terminal may trigger the UEI / ED beam reporting operation based on only one event (e.g., Event-2).

[0195]

[0196] FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining a beam reporting operation according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0197] Referring to FIG. 11, the terminal (UE) can receive configuration information from the base station (NW) indicating a reference signal for the current beam or a reference signal for the new beam (S1110). In this case, the reference signal for the current beam or the new beam may be indicated as a QCL RS of the indicated TCI state as described above, or may be explicitly indicated through RRC signaling, etc.

[0198] Next, the terminal can detect whether two or more events occur based on the above setting information (S1120).

[0199] When the above configuration information indicates a reference signal of the current beam, the two or more events may include Event-2, which occurs when the quality of the new beam improves by a threshold amount compared to the quality of the current beam, and Event-1, which occurs when the quality of the current beam falls below the threshold amount. Additionally or generally, when the above configuration information indicates a reference signal of the new beam, the two or more events may include Event-2, which occurs when the quality of the new beam improves by a threshold amount compared to the quality of the current beam, and Event-7, which occurs when the quality of the new beam improves by a threshold amount compared to the reference signal derived from the M-th best quality active TCI (transmission configuration indicator) state.

[0200] The reference signal of the current beam indicated by the above setting information may be used commonly for the detection of the occurrence of Event-1 and the occurrence of Event-2, or the reference signal of the current beam indicated by the above setting information may be used for the detection of the occurrence of Event-2, and the reference signal quasi-co-located with the reference signal of the current beam may be used for the detection of the occurrence of Event-1.

[0201] The reference signal of the new beam indicated by the above setting information may be used commonly for the detection of the occurrence of Event-1 and the occurrence of Event-7, or the reference signal of the new beam indicated by the above setting information may be used for the detection of the occurrence of Event-2, and a reference signal different from the reference signal of the new beam indicated by the above setting information may be used for the detection of the occurrence of Event-7.

[0202] When the occurrence of at least one of the above two or more events is detected, the terminal may transmit a first uplink (UL) channel for beam reporting to the base station (S1130), and may transmit a second UL channel including a beam report to the base station (S1140).

[0203] In this case, the terminal receives a resource allocation message (e.g., DCI) responding to the first channel from the base station and transmits the second UL channel through the resource indicated by the resource allocation message (i.e., Mode A operation), or transmits the second UL channel through a preset resource without receiving a separate resource allocation message from the base station (i.e., Mode B operation).

[0204] Meanwhile, the base station can confirm at least one event actually occurring at the terminal among the two or more events based on the first UL channel or the second UL channel.

[0205] For example, the base station may identify at least one of the two or more events based on information included in the first UL channel or the second UL channel, or identify at least one of the two or more events based on the time and / or frequency resources at which the first UL channel or the second UL channel is transmitted.

[0206]

[0207] The information(s) or operation(s) described in this disclosure may be applied differently depending on the UE capability. That is, because the measurable RS may differ for each terminal, the event by which the first UL channel is transmitted may differ. For example, Terminal #1 may transmit the first UL channel by triggering the beam reporting operation only by Event-2, and Terminal #2 may transmit the first UL channel by triggering the beam reporting operation only by Event-1. As another example, if the RS of the current beam (or new beam) (for each UE) is determined to be a specific RS (i.e., always the same RS), the beam reporting operation may be triggered by two or more events (e.g., Event-2 and Event-1) to transmit the first UL channel.

[0208] The information(s) described in this disclosure may apply not only to Mode A and Mode B described in this disclosure but also to Mode(s) to be defined later. The information(s) described in this disclosure may be applied differently depending on the Mode.

[0209] The information(s) described in this disclosure may be applied equally to transmission and retransmission of the first UL channel (or second UL channel), or may be applied to transmission and retransmission in different ways.

[0210] In the present disclosure, the first UL channel may be transmitted in one CC, or if multiple CCs exist, it may be transmitted equally in all CCs or only in a specific CC.

[0211] The first PUCCH described above may have an SR type or a new UCI type, or may have an SR type, a BSR type, or another format.

[0212] The information(s) described above may be transmitted via MAC-CE signaling, UCI, and / or RRC signaling (and / or another channel).

[0213] In the present disclosure, the statement that a terminal-led / event-based beam management operation is performed can be interpreted to mean that the terminal transmits a signaling instructing a base station to perform a terminal-led / event-based beam management operation.

[0214] In the present disclosure, the term "terminal-led / event-based beam management operation is stopped" can be interpreted to mean that the terminal transmits a signaling to the base station indicating that it does not perform a terminal-led / event-based beam management operation, or performs an existing base station-led beam management operation.

[0215] The methods proposed in this disclosure may be applied to additionally defined event(s) in addition to the currently defined events. The methods proposed in this disclosure may be applied to intra-cell beam management and inter-cell beam management. The methods proposed in this disclosure may be similarly applied to multi-TRP (mTRP) operations.

[0216]

[0217] The operation of the method according to the present disclosure can be implemented as a computer-readable program or code on a computer-readable recording medium. A computer-readable recording medium includes any type of recording device in which information that can be read by a computer system is stored. Additionally, the computer-readable recording medium may be distributed across networked computer systems, allowing the computer-readable program or code to be stored and executed in a distributed manner.

[0218] In addition, computer-readable recording media may include hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions, such as ROM, RAM, and flash memory. Program instructions may include machine code, such as that generated by a compiler, as well as high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter, etc.

[0219] Some aspects of the present disclosure have been described in the context of a device, but may also be described according to a corresponding method, wherein a block or device corresponds to a method step or a feature of a method step. Similarly, aspects described in the context of a method may also be described according to a corresponding block or item or a feature of a corresponding device. Some or all of the method steps may be performed by (or using) a hardware device, such as, for example, a microprocessor, a programmable computer, or an electronic circuit. In some embodiments, at least one of the most important method steps may be performed by such a device.

[0220] A programmable logic device (e.g., a field-programmable gate array) may be used to perform some or all of the functions of the methods described in this disclosure. A field-programmable gate array may operate with a microprocessor to perform one of the methods described in this disclosure. Generally, it is preferable that the methods be performed by some hardware device.

[0221] Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and changes can be made to the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. In the method of the terminal, A step of receiving setting information from a base station indicating a reference signal for the current beam or a reference signal for a new beam; A step of detecting whether two or more events occur based on the above setting information; When the occurrence of at least one of the above two or more events is detected, a step of transmitting a first uplink (UL) channel for beam reporting to the base station; and A method comprising the step of transmitting a second UL channel, including a beam report, to the base station. Method of the terminal.

2. In Claim 1, The base station identifies at least one of the two or more events based on the first UL channel or the second UL channel, Method of the terminal.

3. In Claim 2, The base station identifies at least one of the two or more events based on information included in the first UL channel or the second UL channel, or identifies at least one of the two or more events based on the time and / or frequency resources at which the first UL channel or the second UL channel is transmitted. Method of the terminal.

4. In Claim 1, When the above setting information indicates a reference signal of the current beam, the above two or more events include Event-2, which occurs when the quality of the new beam improves by a threshold amount compared to the quality of the current beam, and Event-1, which occurs when the quality of the current beam falls below the threshold amount. Method of the terminal.

5. In Claim 4, The reference signal of the current beam indicated by the above setting information is commonly used for detecting the occurrence of Event-1 and the occurrence of Event-2, or the reference signal of the current beam indicated by the above setting information is used for detecting the occurrence of Event-2, and the reference signal quasi-co-located (QCL) with the reference signal of the current beam is used for detecting the occurrence of Event-1. Method of the terminal.

6. In Claim 1, When the above configuration information indicates a reference signal for a new beam, the two or more events include Event-2, which occurs when the quality of the new beam improves by a threshold amount compared to the quality of the current beam, and Event-7, which occurs when the quality of the new beam improves by a threshold amount compared to the reference signal derived from the active TCI (transmission configuration indicator) state having the M-th best quality. Method of the terminal.

7. In Claim 6, The reference signal of the new beam indicated by the above setting information is used commonly for the detection of the occurrence of Event-1 and the occurrence of Event-7, or the reference signal of the new beam indicated by the above setting information is used for the detection of the occurrence of Event-2, and a reference signal different from the reference signal of the new beam indicated by the above setting information is used for the detection of the occurrence of Event-7, Method of the terminal.

8. Regarding the base station method, A step of transmitting setting information to a terminal indicating a reference signal of the current beam or a reference signal of a new beam; When at least one event among two or more events occurs at the terminal, receiving a first uplink (UL) channel for beam reporting from the terminal; and A method comprising the step of receiving a second UL channel including a beam report from the terminal. Base station method.

9. In Claim 8, The base station identifies at least one of the two or more events based on the first UL channel or the second UL channel, Base station method.

10. In Claim 9, The base station identifies at least one of the two or more events based on information included in the first UL channel or the second UL channel, or identifies at least one of the two or more events based on the time and / or frequency resources at which the first UL channel or the second UL channel is transmitted. Base station method.

11. In Claim 8, When the above setting information indicates a reference signal of the current beam, the above two or more events include Event-2, which occurs when the quality of the new beam improves by a threshold amount compared to the quality of the current beam, and Event-1, which occurs when the quality of the current beam falls below the threshold amount. Base station method.

12. In Claim 11, The reference signal of the current beam indicated by the above setting information is commonly used for detecting the occurrence of Event-1 and the occurrence of Event-2, or the reference signal of the current beam indicated by the above setting information is used for detecting the occurrence of Event-2, and the reference signal quasi-co-located (QCL) with the reference signal of the current beam is used for detecting the occurrence of Event-1. Base station method.

13. In claim 8, When the above configuration information indicates a reference signal for a new beam, the two or more events include Event-2, which occurs when the quality of the new beam improves by a threshold amount compared to the quality of the current beam, and Event-7, which occurs when the quality of the new beam improves by a threshold amount compared to the reference signal derived from the active TCI (transmission configuration indicator) state having the M-th best quality. Base station method.

14. In Claim 13, The reference signal of the new beam indicated by the above setting information is used commonly for the detection of the occurrence of Event-1 and the occurrence of Event-7, or the reference signal of the new beam indicated by the above setting information is used for the detection of the occurrence of Event-2, and a reference signal different from the reference signal of the new beam indicated by the above setting information is used for the detection of the occurrence of Event-7, Base station method.

15. In a terminal comprising at least one processor, the at least one processor is said to be: A step of receiving setting information from a base station indicating a reference signal for the current beam or a reference signal for a new beam; A step of detecting whether two or more events occur based on the above setting information; When the occurrence of at least one of the above two or more events is detected, a step of transmitting a first uplink (UL) channel for beam reporting to the base station; and Performing the step of transmitting a second UL channel including a beam report to the base station, Terminal.

16. In Claim 15, The base station identifies at least one of the two or more events based on the first UL channel or the second UL channel, Base station.

17. In Claim 15, When the above setting information indicates a reference signal of the current beam, the above two or more events include Event-2, which occurs when the quality of the new beam improves by a threshold amount compared to the quality of the current beam, and Event-1, which occurs when the quality of the current beam falls below the threshold amount. Terminal.

18. In Claim 17, The reference signal of the current beam indicated by the above setting information is commonly used for detecting the occurrence of Event-1 and the occurrence of Event-2, or the reference signal of the current beam indicated by the above setting information is used for detecting the occurrence of Event-2, and the reference signal quasi-co-located (QCL) with the reference signal of the current beam is used for detecting the occurrence of Event-1. Terminal.

19. In Claim 15, When the above configuration information indicates a reference signal for a new beam, the two or more events include Event-2, which occurs when the quality of the new beam improves by a threshold amount compared to the quality of the current beam, and Event-7, which occurs when the quality of the new beam improves by a threshold amount compared to the reference signal derived from the active TCI (transmission configuration indicator) state having the M-th best quality. Terminal.

20. In Claim 19, The reference signal of the new beam indicated by the above setting information is used commonly for the detection of the occurrence of Event-1 and the occurrence of Event-7, or the reference signal of the new beam indicated by the above setting information is used for the detection of the occurrence of Event-2, and a reference signal different from the reference signal of the new beam indicated by the above setting information is used for the detection of the occurrence of Event-7, Terminal.

Images