Sequential channel state information processing

Abstract

A user equipment ("UE") can perform sequential reference signal ("RS") processing. The UE can determine (1920) a first measurement of one or more RSs of a first portion of a plurality of RSs received from a network node. The UE can select (1930) a first set of beams from a first plurality of beams based on the first measurement. The UE can determine (1950) a second measurement of one or more RSs of a remaining portion of the plurality of RSs received from the network node. The UE can select (1960) a second set of beams from a second plurality of beams based on the first measurement and the second measurement. Each beam of the second plurality of beams can have a direction that is within a direction of a beam in the first set of beams. The UE can transmit (1970) an indication of the second set of beams to the network node.

Description

SEQUENTIAL CHANNEL STATE INFORMATION PROCESSINGTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure is related to wireless communication systems and more particularly to sequential channel state information (“CSI”) processing.BACKGROUND

[0002] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a new radio (“NR”) network (e.g., a 5th Generation (“5G”) network) including a 5G core (“5GC”) network 130, network nodes 120a-b (e.g., 5G base station (“gNB”)), multiple communication devices 110 (also referred to as user equipment (“UE”)).

[0003] Multi-antenna techniques can significantly increase the data rates and reliability of a wireless communication system. The performance is in particular improved if both the transmitter and the receiver are equipped with multiple antennas, which results in a multipleinput multiple-output (“MIMO”) communication channel. Such systems and / or related techniques are commonly referred to as MIMO.SUMMARY

[0004] According to some embodiments, a method of operating a user equipment (“UE”) is provided. The method includes determining a first measurement of each reference signal (“RS”) of a first portion of a plurality of RSs received from a network node. The method includes selecting a first set of beams from a first plurality of beams usable for communication with the network node based on the first measurement of each RS of the first portion of the plurality of RSs. The method further includes determining a second measurement of each RS of a second portion of the plurality of RSs received from the network node. The method further includes selecting a second set of beams from a second plurality of beams usable for communication with the network node based on the first measurement and the second measurement. Each beam of the second plurality of beams has a direction that is within a direction of a beam in the first set of beams. The method further includes transmitting an indication of the second set of beams to the network node.

[0005] According to other embodiments, a communication device, a computer program, computer program product, non-transitory computer readable medium, host, or system is provided to perform one of the above methods.

[0006] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantages. In some embodiments, UE vendors are allowed to implement a version of a PMIsearch. This version of a PMI search can enable: reduced UE PMI search complexity; and reduced PMI computation time, allowing the UE to report CSI feedback faster and potentially avoiding loss in performance caused by a larger CSI report computation time.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate certain non-limiting embodiments of inventive concepts. In the drawings:

[0008] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a 5thgeneration (“5G”) network;

[0009] FIG. 2 is block diagram illustrating an example of a transmission structure of spatial multiplexing in NR;

[0010] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a two-dimensional array of dualpolarized antenna elements;

[0011] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a resource element allocation for a 12-port CSI-RS in NR;

[0012] FIG. 5 is a table illustrating an example of a codebook for 2-layer CSI reporting;

[0013] FIG. 6 is a table illustrating an example of a mapping from ii,3 to ki and k2 for 2-layer CSI reporting;

[0014] FIG. 7 is a table illustrating an example of a codebook for 5-layer CSI reporting;

[0015] FIG. 8 is a table illustrating an example of port layouts and Ni, N2 values;

[0016] FIGS. 9A-B are diagrams illustrating examples of resource element allocation for 128-port CSI-RS;

[0017] FIGS. 10A-B are graphs illustrating examples of port indexing using different port mappings;

[0018] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of 2ndbeam candidates for Scheme A ranks 5-8;

[0019] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of 3rdbeam candidates for Scheme A ranks 5-8;

[0020] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of 4thbeam candidates for Scheme A ranks 5-8;

[0021] FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of 2nd, 3rd, and 4thbeam candidates for Scheme B;

[0022] FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of RE allocation for a 128-port CSI-RS by aggregating K = 432-port CSI-RS legacy resources in accordance with some embodiments;

[0023] FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of N1aO1aN2aO2aoversampled 2-D DFT beams in accordance with some embodiments;

[0024] FIGS. 17-18 are diagrams illustrating examples of two distinct sets of oversampled 2-D DFT beams in accordance with some embodiments;

[0025] FIG. 19 is a flow chart illustrating an example of operations performed by a user equipment, UE, in accordance with some embodiments;

[0026] FIG. 20 is a block diagram of a communication system in accordance with some embodiments;

[0027] FIG. 21 is a block diagram of another communication system in accordance with some embodiments;

[0028] FIG. 22 is a block diagram of a user equipment in accordance with some embodiments;

[0029] FIG. 23 is a block diagram of a network node in accordance with some embodiments; and

[0030] FIG. 24 is a block diagram of a virtualization environment in accordance with some embodiments.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] 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, in which examples of embodiments of inventive concepts are shown. Inventive concepts may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of present inventive concepts to those skilled in the art. It should also be noted that these embodiments are not mutually exclusive. Components from one embodiment may be tacitly assumed to be present / used in another embodiment.

[0032] A core component of the fifth Generation (“5G”) wireless network or New Radio (“NR”) is the support of MIMO antenna deployments and MIMO related techniques such as spatial multiplexing. Spatial multiplexing can be used to increase data rates in favorable channel conditions. FIG. 2 illustrates an example of spatial multiplexing. An information carrying symbol vector s is multiplied by an NT× r precoding matrix or precoder W, which serves to distribute the transmit energy in a subspace of the NTdimensional vector space. The precoding matrix is typically selected from a codebook of possible precoding matrices, and typically indicated by means of a precoding matrix indicator (“PMI”), which specifies a unique precodingmatrix in the codebook for a given number of symbol streams. The r symbols in s each correspond to a MIMO layer and r is referred to as the transmission rank, which equals to the number of columns of the precoder W. In this way, spatial multiplexing is achieved since multiple symbols can be transmitted simultaneously over the same time / frequency resource element (“RE”). The number of symbols r is typically adapted to suit the current channel properties.

[0033] NR uses Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (“OFDM”) in downlink. The received NRX 1 vector ynat a UE on a certain RE can be expressed asTn HnW$n d”where enis a receiver noise / interference vector. The precoder W can be constant over frequency (i.e., wideband), or frequency selective (i.e., per subband).

[0034] The precoder W is chosen to match the characteristics of the NRX NTMIMO channel matrix Hn, resulting in so-called channel dependent precoding. This is also commonly referred to as closed-loop precoding.

[0035] In closed-loop precoding, the UE feeds back recommendations on a suitable precoder to the gNB in the form of a PMI based on downlink channel measurements. For that purpose, the UE is configured with a channel state information (“CSI”) report configuration including CSI reference signals (“CSI-RS”) for channel measurements and a codebook of candidate precoders. In addition to precoders, the feedback may also include a rank indicator (“RI”) and one or two channel quality indicators (“CQIs”). RI, PMI and CQI are part of a CSI feedback. In NR, CSI feedback can be either wideband, where one CSI is reported for the entire channel bandwidth, or frequency-selective, where one CSI is reported for each subband, which is defined as a number of contiguous physical resource blocks (“PRBs”) ranging between 4-32 PRBs depending on the band width part (“BWP”) size.

[0036] Given the CSI feedback from the UE, the gNB determines the transmission parameters it wishes to use to transmit to the UE, including the precoding matrix, transmission rank, and modulation and coding scheme (“MCS”).

[0037] Two-dimensional antenna arrays are widely used and such antenna arrays can be described by a number of antenna ports, Nr, in a first dimension (e.g., the horizontal dimension), a number of antenna ports, N2, in the second dimension perpendicular to the first dimension (e.g., the vertical dimension), and a number of polarizations Np. The total number of antenna ports is thus N = N1N2Np. The concept of an antenna port is non-limiting in the sense that it can refer to any virtualization (e.g., linear mapping) to the physical antenna elements. For example, pairs of physical antenna elements could be fed the same signal, and hence share the same virtualized antenna port.

[0038] An example of a 4 X 4 (i.e., N1× N2) array with dual-polarized antenna elements (i.e., Np= 2) is illustrated in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a two-dimensional antenna array of dual-polarized antenna elements (Np= 2), with N1= 4 horizontal antenna elements and N2= 4 vertical antenna elements.

[0039] Precoding may be interpreted as multiplying the signal to be transmitted by a set of beamforming weights on the antenna ports prior to transmission. A typical approach is to tailor the precoder to the antenna form factor, i.e. taking into account NltN2and Npwhen designing the precoder codebook.

[0040] For CSI measurement and feedback, CSI-RS are defined. A CSI-RS is transmitted on an antenna port at the gNB and is used by a UE to measure downlink channel between the antenna port and each of the UE’s receive antenna ports. The transmit antenna ports are also referred to as CSI-RS ports. The supported number of CSI-RS ports in NR are {1,2,4,8,12,16,24,32}. By measuring the received CSI-RS, a UE can estimate the channel that the CSI-RS is traversing, including the radio propagation channel and antenna gains. The CSI-RS for the above purpose is also referred to as Non-Zero Power (“NZP”) CSI-RS.

[0041] CSI-RS can be configured to be transmitted in certain REs in a slot and certain slots. FIG. 4 illustrates an example of CSI-RS REs for 12 antenna ports, where IRE per RB per port is shown.

[0042] In addition, interference measurement resource (“IMR”) is also defined in NR for a UE to measure interference. An IMR resource contains 4 REs, either 4 adjacent RE in frequency in the same OFDM symbol or 2 by 2 adjacent REs in both time and frequency in a slot. By measuring both the channel based on NZP CSI-RS and the interference based on an IMR, a UE can estimate the effective channel and noise plus interference to determine the CSI.Furthermore, a UE in NR may be configured to measure interference based on one or multiple NZP CSI-RS resource.

[0043] In NR, a UE can be configured with multiple CSI reporting settings and multiple CSI-RS resource settings. Each resource setting can contain multiple resource sets, and each resource set can contain up to 8 CSI-RS resources. For each CSI reporting setting, a UE feeds back a CSI report.

[0044] Each CSI reporting setting can include: CSI-RS resource setting for channel measurement; an IMR resource set for interference measurement; a CSI-RS resource set for interference measurement; time-domain behavior (e.g., periodic, semi-persistent, or aperiodic reporting; frequency granularity (e.g., wideband or subband); CSI parameters to be reported (e.g., RI, PMI, CQI, and CSI-RS resource indicator (“CRI”)) in case of multiple CSI-RS resources in a resource set; codebook types (e.g., type I or II) and codebook subset restriction;measurement restriction; and / or subband size. One out of two possible subband sizes can be indicated, the value range depends on the bandwidth of the BWP. One CQI / PMI (if configured for subband reporting) is fed back per subband).

[0045] A common type of precoding is to use a DFT-precoder, where the precoder vector used to precode a single-layer transmission using a single-polarized uniform linear array (“ULA”) with N antennas is defined ask ~e]2n'°"oNww( / c) = wfe= — e]27ry ON;e)2rc-(N-l)-Q^where k = 0,1,... ON — 1 is the precoder index and 0 is an integer oversampling factor. ukis also referred to as an one-dimension (“1-D”) DFT vector with beam index k. If ULA is along the horizontal dimension, each DFT vector points to an azimuth direction. If ULA is along the vertical dimension, each DFT vector points to an elevation direction. Each precoder corresponds to a DFT vector.

[0046] A corresponding precoder vector for a two-dimensional uniform planar / rectangular array (“UP A”) with N1antenna ports in one dimension and N2antenna ports in another dimension can be defined as:[. ZTtl.znZWj-l) 1^“m ••• e!°1W1 Um\ ’f r.2nm,27Tm(W2-l)]um= \ [1 e}°^2e}°2"2J 'W2 > 1I 1, N2= 1

[0047] In the above, 01and 02are the over sampling factors in the two dimensions associated with N and N2, respectively. Moreover, umis a DFT vector along the N2dimension of the array, and vkm, which is also referred to as two-dimensional (“2-D”) DFT vector characterized by two beam indices (Z, m), one in each dimension, is formed by the Kronecker product of umandwhere ty is a DFT vector along the N1dimension. As such, each such vector vi m(Z = 0,..., N101— 1; m = 0,..., N2O2— 1) corresponds to a 2-D DFT vector.

[0048] In an example uniform regular planar / rectangular array configuration, the N1dimension is along the horizontal direction of the array and the N2dimension is along the vertical direction of the array. In an alternative example configuration, the N1dimension is along the vertical direction of the array and the N2dimension is along the horizontal direction of the array.

[0049] Extending the 2-D DFT vectors for dual-polarized UPA may then be done asVi< PnVl,mwhere <pn= e]7m 2is a co-phasing factor that may be selected from M-PSK alphabet such as QPK with n = 0, 1, 2, 3, and PCSI-RS isthe number of CSI-RS ports. This is the codebook for single layer CSI report with PCSI-RS ports.

[0050] A precoder matrix for multi-layer transmission may be created by appending columns of 2-D DFT vectors. An example for 2-layer precoder matrix is given as

[0051] Such DFT-based precoders are used for instance in NR Type I CSI feedback, where each layer is associated with a 2-D DFT vector.

[0052] The Type I CSI codebook for 2-layers is illustrated in FIG. 5. In this codebook, the 2-D DFT vector vi mfor the first spatial layer (or transmission layer) is given by the indices i1 1and i12. However, the 2-D DFT vector Vpm> is predetermined in 3GPP specification by adding offsets k1and k2to indices i1and i12, respectively. That is, Vpm> is determined such that I' = i1+ k and m' = i12+ k2. Up to four possible values for offsets k1and k2can be selected by index i13as illustrated in FIG. 6. Moreover, index i2is responsible for the interpolarization co-phasing, which is determined according to the elements of a M-PSK constellation alphabet, with M = 4.

[0053] The Type I CSI codebook for 5-layers is illustrated in FIG. 7. In this codebook, the 2-D DFT vector vi mused for the first and second spatial layers (or transmission layers) is given by the indices. However, the 2-D DFT vector Vpm> (used for the 3rdand 4thspatial layers) is fixed in 3GPP specification. For instance, when N2> 1, Vpm> is determined such that I' = ti i + 01and m' = i12. Similarly, the 2-D DFT vector vp'm" (used for the 5thspatial layer) is fixed in 3GPP specification. For instance, when N2> 1, Vp / m» is determined such that I" =l1 1+and tn" = t12+ 02.

[0054] It has been agreed to extend the legacy NltN2values with the respective port layouts to support more than 32 CSI-RS ports as illustrated in FIG. 8. There is also an agreement to support up to a total of 128 CSI-RS ports across all resources, by aggregation of legacy CSI-RS resources with equal number of ports and up to 32 CSI-RS ports each. Regarding resource aggregation to attain 32 < P (or PCSI-RS) - 128, all K NZP CSI-RS resources shall be located within 1 slot or 2 consecutive slots (following legacy principle from Rel-18 Type-II CJT), and are associated with a same CSI-RS resource set. Regarding aggregation of K NZP CSI-RSresources to attain 32 < P (or PCSI-RS) < 128, the support for only the following combinations of K and P (or PCSI-RS) were agreed:• For P (or PCSI-RS) - 48, K - 2 (each resource with 24 ports) and 3 (each resource with 16 ports).• For P (or PCSI-RS) - 64, K - 2 (each resource with 32 ports) and 4 (each resource with 16 ports).• For P (or PCSI-RS) - 128, K - 4 (each resource with 32 ports).

[0055] FIGS. 9A-B show two examples of RE allocation for a 128-port CSI-RS in Rel-19. In both cases, K - 432-port resources are aggregated. Each of the 32-port resources is denoted by RX in the figure, where X is the resource number. The shading / patterns of the CSI-RS ports in FIGS. 9A-B are intended to highlight the distinct 8-port groups when using the cdm8-FD2-TD4 configuration.

[0056] In FIG. 9A, the K - 432-port resources are aggregated in the time domain across two different slots and frequency density 1. In FIG. 9B, the K - 432-port resources are aggregated in the frequency domain in a single slot and frequency density 0.5.

[0057] In terms of CSI processing, the increase of the total number of CSI-RS ports from 32 to up to 128 CSI-RS ports augments the computation demands at the UE. For this reason, two UE capabilities have been introduced. Capability 1: Reuse legacy Z / Z’ values. Capability 2: Scale the legacy timeline Z / Z’ by ceil(P / 32) where P is the total number of ports across all the K aggregated CSI-RS resources.

[0058] This means that for the example with 128 CSI-RS ports and a capability 2 timeline UE, the processing time increases fourfold. This is an important problem in scenarios where accurate CSI is important and especially in scenarios where CSI ages rapidly due to, e.g., high UE mobility.

[0059] In Rel-19, two CSI RS port (to antenna) mapping methods have been agreed. In both mapping methods, half of the ports signaled in a NZP CSI-RS resource correspond to the first polarization while the other half correspond to the second polarization where the first and second polarization ports in each NZP CSI-RS resource are collocated.

[0060] In a first port mapping method, ports are ordered sequentially in the following order:• Port indexing within 1stpolarization of 1stNZP CSI-RS resource to be aggregated• Port indexing within 1stpolarization of 2ndNZP CSI-RS resource to be aggregated •• Port indexing within 1stpolarization of KttlNZP CSI-RS resource to be aggregated • Port indexing within 2ndpolarization of 1stNZP CSI-RS resource to be aggregated • Port indexing within 2ndpolarization of 2ndNZP CSI-RS resource to be aggregated •• Port indexing within 2ndpolarization of KttlNZP CSI-RS resource to be aggregated

[0061] FIG. 10A shows an example of a first port mapping method where K = 2 NZP CSI-RS resources each with 32 ports are aggregated to form PCSI-RS=64 ports.

[0062] In a second port mapping method, each of the NZP CSI-RS resources can be aggregated to have N2ports in the 2nddimension and ports in the first dimension (i.e., PCSI-RS = 21V11V2). In the second port mapping method, ports are ordered sequentially in the following order:• Port indexing within 1stN2ports in polarization 1 of 1stNZP CSI-RS resource to be aggregated• Port indexing within 1stN2ports in polarization 1 of 2ndNZP CSI-RS resource to be aggregated•• Port indexing within 1stN2ports in polarization 1 of KttlNZP CSI-RS resource to be aggregated• Port indexing within 2ndN2ports in polarization 1 of 1stNZP CSI-RS resource to be aggregated• Port indexing within 2ndN2ports in polarization 1 of 2ndNZP CSI-RS resource to be aggregated•• Port indexing within 2ndN2ports in polarization 1 of KttlNZP CSI-RS resource to be aggregated•• Port indexing within N^hN2ports in polarization 1 of 1stNZP CSI-RS resource to be aggregated• Port indexing within N^hN2ports in polarization 1 of 2ndNZP CSI-RS resource to be aggregated•• Port indexing within N^hN2ports in polarization 1 of KthNZP CSI-RS resource to be aggregated• Port indexing within 1stN2ports in polarization 2 of 1stNZP CSI-RS resource to be aggregated• Port indexing within 1stN2ports in polarization 2 of 2ndNZP CSI-RS resource to be aggregated•• Port indexing within 1stN2ports in polarization 2 of KttlNZP CSI-RS resource to be aggregated• Port indexing within 2ndN2ports in polarization 2 of 1stNZP CSI-RS resource to be aggregated• Port indexing within 2ndN2ports in polarization 2 of 2ndNZP CSI-RS resource to be aggregated•• Port indexing within 2ndN2ports in polarization 2 of KttlNZP CSI-RS resource to be aggregated•• Port indexing within N^hN2ports in polarization 2 of 1stNZP CSI-RS resource to be aggregated• Port indexing within N^hN2ports in polarization 2 of 2ndNZP CSI-RS resource to be aggregated•• Port indexing within N^hN2ports in polarization 2 of KttlNZP CSI-RS resource to be aggregated

[0063] FIG. 10B shows an example of the second port mapping method where K = 2 NZP CSI-RS resources each with 32 ports are aggregated to form PCSI-RS=64 ports.

[0064] Although only two port mapping methods are described, these are only examples and other port mapping methods are also possible.

[0065] During the 3GPP RAN1#117, two new codebook schemes for CSI-RS Type-I were agreed. These schemes are further split according to the maximum rank, for ranks up to 4 and for ranks between 5 and 8.

[0066] The first scheme to be agreed, Scheme A, is aimed at low complexity and low overhead, to allow for fast commercialization of UEs supporting feedback-based CSI reporting of larger number of antenna ports at the gNB.

[0067] For Scheme A up to rank 4, a straightforward extension of the Rel-15 legacy Type I codebook was agreed. This extension is achieved by simply introducing new NltN2. As such, no change to the legacy codebook structure was performed. The codebooks are still determined according to 3GPP specifications, following legacy il lti12,and i2reporting.

[0068] In addition to supporting new NltN2values, it was agreed that the new Release- 19 Type-I Single Panel codebook for Scheme A, for ranks 3-4, reuses the codebook structure of the legacy codebook for PCSI-RS < 16 for the case when PCSI-RS=48, 64, 128 as well, such that a unified structure for all layers up to 4 is considered.

[0069] For Scheme A for ranks between 5-8, a new codebook structure has been agreed, where beam selection does not depend on the index i13anymore, nor does it need to be constrained to neighboring beams with fixed kltk2offset values. Instead, this new structure assumes that beams can be selected over the entire gNB array, as long as they are orthogonal either in theor N2dimensions with respect to the previously selected beam(s).

[0070] FIG. 11 shows an example where the oversampled DFT beams of a N1= 8, N2= 4 array structure is considered and assuming oversampling factors 01= 02= 4. For a given first beam selected, the possible 2ndbeam candidates correspond to the orthogonal beams in either the N1or N2dimensions with respect to the first beam.

[0071] FIG. 12 shows an example of a set of possible 3rdcandidates after the selection of the 1stand 2ndbeams. Note that the candidate 3rdbeam sets are built according to the intersection of the orthogonal candidate beams with respect to both the 1stand 2ndselected beams. FIG. 13 shows examples of a 4thbeam candidate set after the selection of the first 3 beams.

[0072] In order to evaluate all possible beam candidate combinations, the operations described in FIGS. 11-13 may be performed for all candidate beams, which can become quite complex and computationally expensive for larger arrays.

[0073] Another scheme that was agreed in 3GPP is Scheme B, which is aimed more towards high flexibility and independent beam selection, albeit at the expense of higher overhead.

[0074] For up to rank 4, it was agreed that Scheme B supports independent DFT beams per layer, or, in other words, up to 4 DFT beams for ranks up to 4. In addition, Scheme B also aims at having independent inter-polarization co-phasing factors per layer.

[0075] FIG. 14 shows an example of possible beam candidates after the first beam is selected. In Scheme B case, the set of possible beam candidates is formed such that the candidate beams must be orthogonal in both N and N2dimensions according to all other previously selected beams. The only restriction is that a single DFT beam can be reused to transmit a maximum of two layers. Therefore, according to the codebook structure of Rel-19 scheme B ranks 1-4, the minimum and maximum number of DFT beams that can be selected for a 4 layer transmission are two and four, respectively.

[0076] For Scheme B for ranks greater than 4 the same structure as for ranks up to 4 was agreed. The only difference is in terms of the total number of beams. Instead of considering one independent DFT beam per layer, for ranks larger than 4 it was agreed that a single beam is shared among two layers. For ranks 5-6 it was agreed that 3 beams are selected, whereas for ranks 7-8, the 4 best beams are selected. In addition, inter-polarization co-phasing factors are also repeated among repeated beams in the two common layers. Moreover, when the rank is an odd number, the least powerful beam is not repeated and is designated as an orphan beam, and it also has an independent co-phasing factor.

[0077] There currently exist certain challenge(s). One problem that needs to be addressed is the increase in the computational demands at the UE when introducing CSI-RS signals with more than 32 ports, for example up to 128 ports as in Release-19. The increased computational demands lead to larger processing times and, therefore, outdated CSI due to channel aging (as the gap between when the UE measures the channel and when the UE finishes the CSI computation increases due to larger processing times). This becomes a significant problem in moderate to high mobility scenarios where outdated CSI due to channel aging may cause significant performance degradation. How to alleviate the effect of channel aging due to large processing times is an open problem to be solved.

[0078] Various embodiments herein address the above challenges by describing a process of sequential processing of reference signals. The oversampling values02are either configured by the network or predefined in 3GPP specifications while the oversampling values 0la, 02aare values defined in this invention. Also note that, the following holds,= NlaN2a,M2= N N2, and N1aO1aN2aO2a— N1O1N2O2. Furthermore, we have that Nla= kN / K and / V2a= kN2 / K.

[0079] Since CSI-RS resources that are aggregated to form K CSI-RS ports can be transmitted in at most 2 adjacent slots, the main idea proposed involves the UE performing a sequential processing of CSI-RS instead of waiting for all CSI-RS resources to be received from the network in order to reduce the processing time, while still maintaining good performance.

[0080] This sequential processing of the CSI-RS reduces the total UE processing time by limiting the set of candidate 2-D DFT beams used to compose the precoder / PMI already when the first set of CSI-RS resources are processed. The processing takes place in a number of sequential operations.

[0081] The UE measures k (where 1 < k < K) of the K aggregated CSI-RS resources used to transmit the PCSI-RS ports for channel measurement (as agreed in Rel-19).

[0082] In some embodiments, the UE processes these measurements on the k resources without waiting to measure the remaining K — k CSI RS resources yet and down-selects up to B 2-D DFT spatial basis vectors with lengththat best match the spatial directions of the channel.

[0083] The UE uses the down-selected list of B 2-D DFT spatial basis vectors with length M from the previous step together with the measurements corresponding to the total K CSI RS resources to construct a PMI. To form a PMI, the UE selects the strongest L 2-D DFT spatial basis vectors with length M2whose strongest directions are contained within (the direction of) the B “beam clusters” determined in Step 2. In this context, a beam cluster is a set of 0i02beams within the set of N1aO1aN2aO2a2-D DFT spatial basis vectors with length M1.

[0084] The UE reports to the network a PMI after selecting L 2-D DFT spatial basis vectorswith length M2from the remaining - candidate beams.^ia^2a

[0085] In some embodiments, the term oversampled DFT beams is used. This terminology may alternatively be referred to as ‘2D DFT vector’ or ‘2D DFT beam’, ‘spatial domain basis vector’, ‘DFT beam,’ or ‘oversampled DFT beam.’

[0086] To facilitate the visualization of some embodiments, figures showing the set of beam candidates are shown only for a scenario in which a PMI is composed using 2 beams. However, these embodiments are applicable to any number of beams.

[0087] In some embodiments, both CSI RS port (to antenna) mapping methods, half of the ports signaled in a given NZP CSI-RS resource correspond to the first polarization while the other half correspond to the second polarization where the first and second polarization ports in each NZP CSI-RS resource are colocated.

[0088] The oversampling values O2are either configured by the network or prespecified in 3GPP specifications while the oversampling values Ola, O2aare values defined. Possible values for 0la, 02aare, for example, 1, 2, and 4.

[0089] Sequential processing of the CSI-RS resources may reduce the total UE processing time by limiting the total number of candidate 2-D DFT beams in the subsequent steps. The processing takes place in a number of sequential steps.

[0090] In some embodiments, the UE first measures k (where 1 < k < K) of the K CSI-RS resources used to aggregate PCSI-RS ports (as agreed in Rel-19). FIG. 15 illustrates an example where K - 432-port resources are aggregated in the time domain across two different slots and with frequency density 1 PRB for a (1V1; / V2) = (8,8) dual polarized array, for example.

[0091] In this example, the UE measures k = 1 32-port resources (denoted as R1 in FIG.15). This resource contains CSI-RS sounded from ( / Vla, N2a) = (4,4) dual polarized ports of the N1, N2') = (8,8) array.

[0092] In some embodiments, the k resources belong to the first slot of all the slots containing the K CSI-RS resources. In additional or alternative embodiments, the selected k CSI-RS resources are the k CSI-RS resources that are received first in time. One benefit with this embodiment is that the earlier the k CSI-RS resources are received, the earlier the UE can start processing the measurements and thereby complete the CSI calculation.

[0093] In additional or alternative embodiments, the UE processes the measurements of these k resources even before it starts measuring the remaining K — k CSI RS resources.Processing of the measurements of these k resources means that the UE uses the measurement of kPcsl-RS / K ports to down-select up to B 2-D DFT spatial basis vectors with length M1that best match the spatial directions of the channel.

[0094] Therefore, using the measurement of the k resources alone, the UE can compute up to iVlaOlalV2aO2aoversampled 2-D DFT beams.

[0095] FIG. 16 shows an example where the N1aO1aN2aO2aoversampled 2-D DFT beams are depicted by means of circles 1620 (referred to as larger circles 1620 in regards to FIGS. 17-18) where oversampling factors in the depiction 0la= 02a= 1 for simplicity.

[0096] From this set of N1aO1aN2aO2aDFT beams the UE selects the B strongest 2-D DFT beams with lengthfor the measured k CSI-RS resources. In the example of FIG. 16, the B = 2 strongest beams are depicted by means of circles with a shaded area 1625.

[0097] In some embodiments B depends on the maximum rank, or rank indicator restriction (RIrest)> the UE is configured with. In one embodiment, the larger the maximum rank (Rlrest) is, the larger B is. In one embodiment, B is equal to the maximum number of 2-D DFT spatialbasis vectors with length M2that the UE can select for the composing the PMI and max rank, for example B < RIrest / 2]. In a related embodiment, for example, B < RIrest.

[0098] In some related embodiments B depends on the maximum rank (RIrest) the UE is configured with for a Rel-19 Type I codebook and / or which scheme (scheme A or Scheme B) the UE is configured with. In one embodiment, the larger the maximum rank (RIrest) is, the larger B is. In one embodiment, B is equal to the maximum number of 2-D DFT spatial basis vectors with length M2that the UE can select for the corresponding scheme and max rank, for example: For scheme A: B < RIrest / ]', For scheme B with maximum rank 4 or lower: B < RIrest', and For scheme B with maximum rank between 5 and 8: B < [A7rest / 2].

[0099] In some embodiments, the B 2-D DFT beams are selected without oversampling, i.e., 0la= 02a= 1. In some embodiments, the B 2-D DFT beams are selected with oversampling, i.e., 0la= 02a= 4.

[0100] In additional or alternative embodiments, the UE uses the down-selected list of B 2-D DFT spatial basis vectors with lengthwith the measurements corresponding to the K CSI RS resources to construct a PMI. Note that, in previous steps the UE used measurements corresponding to only k CSI RS resources.

[0101] To form a PMI, the UE selects the strongest L oversampled beams of length M2whose strongest directions are contained within (the direction of) the B “beam clusters.” In this context, a beam cluster is a set of 0t02beams within the set of / VlaOlalV2aO2a2-D DFT spatial basis vectors with length M1. FIG. 17 shows an example of this concept where beam clusters are depicted using larger circles. In other words, the oversampled / VlaOlalV2aO2a2-D DFT beams (larger circles 1620) from FIG. 16 become beam clusters (larger circles 1620) to the oversampled N1O1N2O22-D DFT beams (smaller dashed circles 1730) in FIG. 17.

[0102] Therefore, the UE has a total ofBWN1l°a1NW22a°2candidate beams to form a PMI. Note that, in a legacy implementation, the UE has instead N1O1N2O2oversampled 2-D DFT with length M2to select from to construct a PMI. In other words, by applying the described steps, we have reduced the search space to a B / (NlaN2a) part of the original search space. For example, substituting the values used in the example case in FIG. 17, we reduce the search space to one eighth part of a legacy implementation. That is, an 87.5% reduction.

[0103] In FIG. 17, the same B = 2 2-D DFT beams from FIG. 16 are shaded. These beams from FIG. 16 become beam clusters in FIG. 17 from where the UE selects up to L 2-D DFT spatial basis vectors with length M2from the candidateBW1°1W2°2beams. In FIG. 17, the finalset ofBW1°1W2°2candidate beams to construct a PMI are depicted by means of smaller dashed NwN2aF Jcircles 1735 within shaded larger circles 1725.

[0104] In an embodiment, the mapping between a beam cluster, corresponding to a 2-D DFT spatial vector of length Mlrand theW1°1W2°22-D DFT spatial vectors of length M2whose -ta zastrongest directions are contained within the direction of the 2-D DFT spatial vector of length is predetermined and stored by the UE.

[0105] In a related embodiment, the UE determines theBWN1l°a1NW22a°22-D DFT candidate spatial vectors of length M2for the final beam selection using the precomputed mapping described above.

[0106] In additional or alternative embodiments, the UE reports to the network a PMI basedon the selected L 2-D DFT spatial basis vectors with length M2from the - beams. FIG.‘■za‘-za18 shows an example where the UE has selected RI = 4 and L = 2 2-D DFT beams 1840 (indicated by solid smaller dashed circles).

[0107] In some embodiments, in addition to reporting the PMI based on the selected L 2-D DFT beams, the UE also reports a coarse PMI based on the selected wide B 2-D DFT spatial basis vectors with length. This is beneficial in case the network wants to turn off or mute a subset of CSI-RS ports for network energy saving purposes (e.g., turn off or mute CSI-RS ports in the remaining K — k CSI RS resources and only transmit CSI-RS ports in the k CSI-RS). Hence, the coarse PMI based on the selected wide B 2-D DFT spatial basis vectors with length M can be used when the network turns off or mutes CSI-RS ports in the remaining K — k CSI RS resources and only transmit CSI-RS ports in the k CSI-RS.

[0108] Operations of a UE 2200 (implemented using the structure of FIG. 22) will now be discussed with reference to the flow charts of FIG. 19 according to some embodiments of inventive concepts. For example, modules may be stored in memory 2210 of FIG. 22, and these modules may provide instructions so that when the instructions of a module are executed by respective UE processing circuitry 2202, UE 2200 performs respective operations of the flow chart.

[0109] FIG. 19 illustrates an example of operations performed by a UE to perform sequential RS processing.

[0110] At block 1910, processing circuitry 2202 receives, via communication interface 2212, a first portion of a plurality of RSs. In some embodiments, the plurality of RSs include a plurality of RS resources used to transmit ports for channel measurement. In additional oralternative embodiments, the plurality of RSs are a plurality of channel state information RSs, CSI-RSs.

[0111] At block 1920, processing circuitry 2202 determines a first measurement of each RS of the first portion of the plurality of RSs. In some embodiments, the first measurement of each RS of the first portion of the plurality of RSs includes at least one of: a reference signal received power, RSRP; a reference signal received quality, RSRQ; a signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio, SINR; and a signal-to-noise ratio, SNR.

[0112] At block 1930, processing circuitry 2202 selects a first set of beams based on the first measurement. In some embodiments, selecting the first set of beams from the first plurality of beams includes selecting the first set of beams from a first plurality of oversampled beams based on the first measurement of each RS of the first portion of the plurality of RSs.

[0113] In additional or alternative embodiments, selecting the first set of beams from the first plurality of beams includes selecting the first set of beams from a first plurality of nonoversampled beams based on the first measurement of each RS of the first portion of the plurality of RSs.

[0114] In additional or alternative embodiments, selecting the first set of beams includes determining a number of beams to be selected from the first plurality of beams based on a rank indicator restriction; an selecting the number of beams from the first plurality of beams to form the first set of beams.

[0115] At block 1940, processing circuitry 2202 receives, via communication interface 2212, a second portion of the plurality of RSs. In some embodiments, receiving the second portion of the plurality of RSs includes receiving the second portion of the plurality of RSs subsequent to receiving the first portion of the plurality of RSs.

[0116] In additional or alternative embodiments, receiving the first portion of the plurality of RSs includes receiving the first portion of the plurality of RSs during a first time slot.Receiving the second portion of the plurality of RSs includes receiving the second portion of the plurality of RSs during a second time slot that is subsequent to the first time slot.

[0117] In additional or alternative embodiments, receiving the second portion of the plurality of RSs includes receiving the second portion of the plurality of RSs subsequent to determining the measurement of each RS of the second portion of the plurality of RSs.

[0118] In additional or alternative embodiments, the first portion of the plurality of RSs and the second portion of the plurality of RSs are mutually exclusive and together include all of the RSs of the plurality of RSs.

[0119] At block 1950, processing circuitry 2202 determines a second measurement of teach RS of the second portion of the plurality of RSs. In some embodiments, determining themeasurement of each RS of the second portion of the plurality of RSs includes determining the measurement of each RS of the second portion of the plurality of RSs subsequent to selecting the first set of beams.

[0120] In additional or alternative embodiments, the second portion of the plurality of RSs includes at least one of: a reference signal received power, RSRP; a reference signal received quality, RSRQ; a signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio, SINR; and a signal-to-noise ratio, SNR.

[0121] At block 1960, processing circuitry 2202 selects a second set of beams from a second plurality of beams based on the first measurement and the second measurement. In some embodiments, each beam of the second plurality of beams has a direction that is within a direction of a beam in the first set of beams.

[0122] In additional or alternative embodiments, each beam of the first plurality of beams has a first resolution, and each beam of the second plurality of beams has a higher resolution than each beam in the first plurality of beams

[0123] In additional or alternative embodiments, the first plurality of beams includes a plurality of spatial basis vectors with a first length and the second plurality of beams includes a plurality of spatial basis vectors with a second length that is longer than the first length. In some examples, selecting the first set of beams includes selecting a first set of spatial basis vectors from the plurality of spatial basis vectors with the first length that best match a spatial direction of a channel between the UE and the network node. In additional or alternative examples, selecting the second set of beams includes selecting a second set of spatial basis vectors from the plurality of 2D DFT spatial basis vectors with the second length whose strongest directions are within the first number of 2D spatial basis vectors.

[0124] In additional or alternative examples, the plurality of spatial basis vectors with the first length includes a plurality of two-dimensional, 2D, Discrete Fourier Transform, DFT spatial basis vectors. The plurality of spatial basis vectors with the second length includes a plurality of 2D-DFT spatial vectors.

[0125] In additional or alternative embodiments, the first portion of the plurality of RSs are associated with a first number of ports. The second portion of the plurality of RSs are associated with a second number of ports. The first plurality of beams are associated with the first number of ports. The second plurality of beams are associated with a combination of the first number of ports and the second number of ports.

[0126] In additional or alternative embodiments, selecting the first set of beams includes selecting the first set of beams prior to determining the measurement of each RS of the second portion of the plurality of RSs.

[0127] In additional or alternative embodiments, selecting the second set of beams from the second plurality of beams includes selecting the second set of beams from a second plurality of oversampled beams based on the first measurement and the second measurement, each beam of the second plurality of oversampled beams having a direction that is within a direction of a beam in the first set of beams.

[0128] In additional or alternative embodiments, selecting the second set of beams from the second plurality of beams includes selecting the second set of beams from a second plurality of non-oversampled beams based on the first measurement and the second measurement, each beam of the second plurality of non-oversampled beams having a direction that is within a direction of a beam in the first set of beams.

[0129] At block 1970, processing circuitry 2202 transmits, via communication interface 2212, an indication of the second set of beams. In some embodiments, transmitting the indication of the second set of beams includes transmitting an indication of a precoding matrix indicator, PMI based on the second set of beams. In some examples, the PMI is a first PMI. Transmitting the indication of the second set of beams includes transmitting an indication of the first PMI and a second PMI based on the first set of beams.

[0130] In additional or alternative embodiments, transmitting the indication of the second set of beams includes transmitting CSI feedback including an indication of at least one of: a rank indicator, RI; a precoding matrix indicator, PMI; and a channel quality indicator, CQI.

[0131] Various operations from the flow chart of FIG. 19 may be optional with respect to some embodiments of UEs and related methods.

[0132] Example embodiments are described below.

[0133] Embodiment 1. A method in a UE for reporting CSI, the method comprising:

[0134] measuring k (where 1 < k < K) CSI-RS resources of the K CSI-RS resources used to aggregate PCSI-RS ports;

[0135] selecting B 2-D DFT spatial domain basis vectors with lengthbased on measurements of the k CSI-RS resources of the K CSI-RS resources;

[0136] measuring the remaining K — k CSI-RS resources of the K CSI-RS resources used to aggregate PCSI-RS ports;

[0137] selecting L 2-D DFT spatial domain basis vectors with length M2(where< M2), which belong to the candidate set formed by the spatial domain basis vectors with length M2within the B 2-D DFT spatial domain basis vectors with length, by processing measurements from all the K CSI-RS resources; and

[0138] reporting at least a PMI formed by the L 2-D DFT spatial domain basis vectors with length M2.

[0139] Embodiment 2. Embodiment 1, where B is determined by the UE based on rank indicator restriction RIrestas B < RIrest.

[0140] Embodiment 3. Embodiment 1, where, B is determined by the UE based on rank indicator restriction RIrestas B < [RIrest / ^l-

[0141] Embodiment 4. Embodiment 1, where, for Rel-19 scheme A, B is determined by the UE based on rank indicator restriction RIrestas B < [RIrest / 2,

[0142] Embodiment 5. Embodiment 1, where, for Rel-19 scheme B and rank < 4, B is determined by the UE based on rank indicator restriction RIrestas B < RIrest.

[0143] Embodiment 6. Embodiment 1, where, for Rel-19 scheme B and rank > 4, B is determined by the UE based on rank indicator restriction RIrestas B < [RIrest / ^l-

[0144] Embodiment 7. Embodiment 1, where B 2-D DFT spatial domain basis vectors with length are selected without oversampling, i.e., 01= O2= 1.

[0145] Embodiment 8. Embodiment 1, where B 2-D DFT spatial domain basis vectors with length are selected with oversampling, i.e., 01= O2= 4.

[0146] Embodiment 9. Embodiment 1, where the k CSI-RS resources belong to the first slot of all the slots containing the K CSI-RS resources.

[0147] Embodiment 10. Embodiment 1, where the selected k CSI-RS resources are the k CSI-RS resources that are received first in time compared to the remaining K — k CSI-RS resources.

[0148] Embodiment 11. Any of Embodiments 1-10, wherein the UE additionally reports a PMI formed by the B 2-D DFT spatial domain basis vectors with length.

[0149] FIG. 20 shows an example of a communication system 2000 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0150] In the example, the communication system 2000 includes a telecommunications network 2002 that includes an access network 2004, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 2006, which includes one or more core network nodes 2008. The access network 2004 includes one or more access network nodes or base stations of various types, access network nodes 2010A and 2010B are depicted (which may be collectively referred to as network nodes 2010), or any other similar 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP access points (APs). Some embodiments of the access network 2004 may include more than one access network technology. The network nodes 2010 of access network 2004 facilitate direct or indirect connection of wireless devices, also referred to as user equipments (UEs), such as by connecting UEs 2012A, 2012B, 2012C, and 2012D (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 2012) to the core network 2006 over one or more wireless connections.

[0151] 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 2002 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a network node in the telecommunications network 2002 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 2002, including one or more access network nodes 2010 and / or core network nodes 2008.

[0152] 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 O-2 interface defined by the O-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies.

[0153] The network nodes 2010 facilitate direct or indirect connection of one or more UEs 2012 to the core network 2006 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 2000 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 2000 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0154] The UEs 2012 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 2010 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 2008, 2010 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly (e.g., via other devices of telecommunications network 2002) with the UEs 2012 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunications network 2002 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 2002. More specifically, UEs 2012 may send messages, data, and / or other signals to network nodes 2008, 2010 or other elements of the telecommunications network 2002 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 2008, 2010 may send messages, data, and other signals to UEs 20122, other network nodes 2008, 2010, and other devices in telecommunications network 2002 directly or indirectly. As one specific example, a core network node 108 may transmit a particular message to a UE 2012 by transmitting the message to an access network node 2010 that will then transmit the message to the intended UE 2012. Similarly, a core network node 108 may receive a particular message from a UE 2012 by receiving the message from an access network node 2010 that itself received the message from the UE 2012.

[0155] In the depicted example, the core network 2006 connects elements of the access network 2004 (e.g., one or more of the network nodes 2010) to one or more host computing systems, such as host 2016. 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 2006 includes one or more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 2008) of various types, one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 2008. Network nodes 2008 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 2008. 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 (SIDE), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security EdgeProtection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0156] The host 2016 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 2004 and / or the telecommunications network 2002. The host 2016 may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 2016 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.

[0157] As a whole, the communication system 2000 of FIG. 20 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system 2000 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 2000 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 2000 supporting different standards, protocols, or rule sets.

[0158] As one example, in certain embodiments, access network 2004 may contain some access network nodes 2010 that support 3GPP radio access technologies (RAT), such as LTE or NR, while other access network nodes 2010 support (or the same access network nodes 2010 additionally support) non-3GPP RATs, such as Wi-Fi or a proprietary RAT. As another example, telecommunications network 2002 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.

[0159] Telecommunications network 2002 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunications network 2002. For example, the telecommunications network 2002 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.

[0160] In some examples, one or more of the UEs 2012 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 2004 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 2004.Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-RAT or multi-standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) 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).

[0161] In the example, the hub 2014 communicates with the access network 2004 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 2012C and / or 2012D) and network nodes (e.g., network node 2010B). In some examples, the hub 2014 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 2014 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 2006 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 2014 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 2010, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 2014.

[0162] As another example, the hub 2014 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 2014 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 2014 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 2014 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 2014 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0163] The hub 2014 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 2010B. The hub 2014 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 2014 and UEs (e.g., UE 2012C and / or 2012D), and betweenthe hub 2014 and the core network 2006. In other examples, the hub 2014 is connected to the core network 2006 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 2014 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 2004 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 2010 while still connected via the hub 2014 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 2014 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 2010B. In other embodiments, the hub 2014 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 2010B, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0164] FIG. 21 is another example of a communication system 2100 according to some embodiments. As used herein, the communication system 2100 includes multiple access points (APs) 2110 (with four exemplary APs 2110A, 2110B, 2110C, and 2110D being depicted) and multiple wireless devices, referred to in the context of communication system 2100 as stations (STAs) 2112 (referred to individually as STA 2112A, STA 2112B, STA 2112C, STA 2112D, and STA 2112E). STA 2112A is served by AP 2110A in a first basic service set (BSS) 2120A. STA 2110B and STA 2110C are served by AP 2110B in a second BSS, BSS 2120B. STA 2112D is served by AP 2110C in a third BSS, BSS 2120C. STA 2112E is served by AP 2110D in a fourth BSS, BSS 2120D. Stations 2112 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 2112 could, for example, correspond to other kinds of equipment like smart home devices, printers, multimedia devices, data storage devices, or the like.

[0165] Each of STAs 2112 may connect through a radio link to one of APs 2110. For example, depending on location or channel conditions experienced by a given STA 2112, 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.

[0166] Each AP 2110 may provide data connectivity to STAs 2112 connected to a particular AP 2110. As illustrated, APs 2110 may be connected to a data network 2130. In this way, APs 2110 may also provide data connectivity between STAs 2112 and other entities, e.g., to one ormore servers, service providers, data sources, data sinks, user terminals, or the like.Accordingly, the radio link established between a given STA 2112 and its serving AP 2110 may be used for providing various kinds of services to STA 2112, e.g., a voice service, a multimedia service, or other data service. Such services may be based on applications that are executed on STA 2112 and / or on a device linked to STA 2112. By way of example, FIG. 21 illustrates an application service platform 2132 provided in data network 2130. The application(s) executed on STA 2112 and / or on one or more other devices linked to STA 2112 may use the radio link for data communication with one or more other STA 2112 and / or the application service platform 2132, thereby enabling utilization of the corresponding service(s) at STA 2112.

[0167] FIG. 22 shows a wireless device 2200, which may be configured to operate in communication system 2000 of FIG. 20 or in communication system 2100 of FIG. 21. The wireless device 2200 may be alternatively referred to as a UE 2200, like a UE 2012 within the context of communication system 2000, or as a station (STA) 2200 or as a non-access-point station (non-AP STA) 2200, like a STA 2112 within the context of the communication system 2100, 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 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0168] A wireless device 2200 may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, wireless device 2200 may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, wireless device 2200 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 2200 may represent a device that is notintended 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).

[0169] In particular embodiments, wireless device 2200 includes processing circuitry 2202 that is operatively coupled via a bus 2204 to an input / output interface 2206, a power source 2208, a memory 2210, a communication interface 2212, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain embodiments of wireless device 2200 may include all or a subset of the components shown in FIG. 22. The level of integration between the components may vary from one embodiment of wireless device 2200 to another. In general, in a particular embodiment of wireless device 2200, processing circuitry 2202, input / output interface 2206, power source 2208, memory 2210, and communication interface 2212 may, in whole or in part, represent or include physical components common to or shared by one or more of the other elements of wireless device 2200. Further, certain embodiments of wireless devices 2200 may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0170] The processing circuitry 2202 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 2210. The processing circuitry 2202 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 2202 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0171] In the example, the input / output interface 2206 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 sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into wireless device 2200. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, 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 ofinterface 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.

[0172] In some embodiments, the power source 2208 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 2208 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 2208 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of wireless device 2200 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Power source 2208 may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to make accessible power suitable for the respective components of the wireless device 2200 to which power is supplied.

[0173] The memory 2210 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable readonly memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 2210 includes one or more programs 2214, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 2216. The memory 2210 may store, for use by wireless device 2200, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0174] The memory 2210 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 2210 may allow wireless device 2200 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 2210, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0175] The processing circuitry 2202 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network via or using the communication interface 2212. The communication interface 2212 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 2222. The communication interface 2212 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 2218 and / or a receiver 2220 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 2218 and receiver 2220 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 2222) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0176] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 2212 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, New Radio (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.

[0177] In particular embodiments, wireless device 2200 may provide an output of data captured via a sensor, through its communication interface 2212, via a wireless connection to a network node, and / or in any appropriate manner. Data captured by sensors of a wireless device 2200 can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another wireless device 2200. 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).

[0178] As another example, wireless device 2200 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 theactuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, wireless device 2200 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.

[0179] Wireless device 2200, when in the form of an Internet of Things (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, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking 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 2200 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 2200 shown in FIG. 22.

[0180] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, wireless device 2200 may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another wireless device and / or a network node. Wireless device 2200 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 2200 may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, wireless device 2200 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.

[0181] In practice, any number of wireless devices 2200 may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first wireless device 2200 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 2200 that is a remote controller operating the drone. When a user makes changes from the remote controller, the first wireless device 2200 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 thesecond wireless device 2200 can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, wireless device 2200 might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0182] FIG. 23 shows a network node 2300 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 2300 may be configured to operate in communication system 2000 of FIG. 20, like network nodes 2008 or 2010, or in communication system 2100 of FIG. 21, like an AP 2110 or a station 2112. 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, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NR NodeBs (gNBs)), O-RAN nodes or components of an O-RAN node (e.g., O-RU, O-DU, O-CU).

[0183] Network nodes 2300 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 2300 may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. Network nodes 2300 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 O-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).

[0184] Other examples of network nodes 2300 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 / multicast 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).

[0185] In particular embodiments, network node 2300 includes a processing circuitry 2302, a memory 2304, a communication interface 2306, and a power source 2308. In general, in a particular embodiment of network node 2300, processing circuitry 2302, memory 2304, communication interface 2306, and power source 2308 may, in whole or in part, represent orinclude physical components common to or shared by one or more of the other elements of network node 2300.

[0186] The network node 2300 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 2300 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 NodeB s. 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 2300 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memories 2304 or portions of memory 2304 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 2310 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 2300 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 2300, 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 2300.

[0187] The processing circuitry 2302 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 2304, to provide network node 2300 functionality.

[0188] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 2302 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 2302 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 2312 and baseband processing circuitry 2314. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuitry 2312 and the baseband processing circuitry 2314 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 2312 and baseband processing circuitry 2314 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0189] The memory 2304 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, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (forexample, 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 2302. The memory 2304 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 2302 and utilized by the network node 2300. The memory 2304 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 2302 and / or any data received via the communication interface 2306. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 2302 and memory 2304 is integrated.

[0190] The communication interface 2306 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 2306 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 2316 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. In particular embodiments, network node 2200 may be capable of wireless communication and communication interface 2306 may also include radio front-end circuitry 2318 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, an antenna 2310. Particular embodiments of radio front-end circuitry 2318 include filter(s) 2320 and amplifier(s) 2322. The radio front-end circuitry 2318 may be connected to an antenna 2310 and processing circuitry 2302. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 2310 and processing circuitry 2302. The radio front-end circuitry 2318 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 2318 may convert the digital data into a radio signal(s) having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 2320 and / or amplifiers 2322. The radio signal(s) may then be transmitted via the antenna 2310. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 2310 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 2318. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 2302. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0191] In certain alternative embodiments, network node 2300 may be capable of wireless communication but does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 2318, instead, the processing circuitry 2302 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 2310. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 2312 is part of the communication interface 2306. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 2306 includes one or more ports or terminals 2316, the radio front-end circuitry 2318, and the RF transceiver circuitry 2312, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communicationinterface 2306 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 2314, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0192] The antenna 2310 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 2310 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 2318 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 2310 is separate from the network node 2300 and connectable to the network node 2300 through one or more interfaces or ports.

[0193] The antenna 2310, communication interface 2306, and / or the processing circuitry 2302 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 2300. Any information, data and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 2310, the communication interface 2306, and / or the processing circuitry 2302 may be configured to perform some or all of the transmitting or sending operations described herein as being performed by the network node 2300. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0194] The power source 2308 provides power to the various components of network node 2300 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 2308 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 2300 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 2300 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 2308. As a further example, the power source 2308 may comprise 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 if the external power source fails.

[0195] Embodiments of the network node 2300 may include additional components beyond those shown in FIG. 23 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 2300 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 2300 and to allow output of information from the network node 2300. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 2300.

[0196] FIG. 24 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 2400 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 2400 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 2400 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.

[0197] Applications 2402 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment 2400 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0198] Hardware 2404 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 2406 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VM 2408A and VM 2408B (which may be collectively referred to as VMs 2408), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 2406 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to one or more of the VMs 2408.

[0199] The VMs 2408 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by virtualization layer 2406. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 2402 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 2408, 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 serverhardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.

[0200] In the context of NFV, each of the VMs 2408 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 2408, and that part of hardware 2404 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 2408 on top of the hardware 2404 and corresponds to an application 2402.

[0201] Hardware 2404 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 2404 may implement some functions via virtualization.Alternatively, hardware 2404 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 2410, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 2402. In some embodiments, hardware 2404 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 2412 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0202] 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 software needed 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, acommunication 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.

[0203] 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.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A method of operating a user equipment, UE, the method comprising:determining (1920) a first measurement of one or more reference signals, RSs, of a first portion of a plurality of RSs received from a network node;selecting (1930) a first set of beams from a first plurality of beams usable for communication with the network node based on the first measurement of the one or more RSs of the first portion of the plurality of RSs;determining (1950) a second measurement of one or more RSs of a second portion of the plurality of RSs received from the network node;selecting (1960) a second set of beams from a second plurality of beams usable for communication with the network node based on the first measurement and the second measurement, each beam of the second plurality of beams having a direction that is within a direction of a beam in the first set of beams; andtransmitting (1970) an indication of the second set of beams to the network node.

2. The method of Claim 1, wherein each beam of the first plurality of beams has a first resolution, andwherein each beam of the second plurality of beams has a higher resolution than each beam in the first plurality of beams3. The method of any of Claims 1-2, wherein the first plurality of beams comprises a plurality of spatial basis vectors with a first length,wherein the second plurality of beams comprises a plurality of spatial basis vectors with a second length that is longer than the first length, andwherein the plurality of RSs comprise a plurality of RS resources used to transmit ports for channel measurement.

4. The method of Claim 3, wherein selecting the first set of beams comprises selecting a first set of spatial basis vectors from the plurality of spatial basis vectors with the first length that best match a spatial direction of a channel between the UE and the network node, andwherein selecting the second set of beams comprises selecting a second set of spatial basis vectors from the plurality of 2D spatial basis vectors with the second length whose strongest directions are within the first number of 2D spatial basis vectors.

5. The method of any of Claims 3-4, wherein the plurality of spatial basis vectors with the first length comprises a plurality of two-dimensional, 2D, Discrete Fourier Transform, DFT spatial basis vectors, andwherein the plurality of spatial basis vectors with the second length comprises a plurality of 2D-DFT spatial vectors.

6. The method of any of Claims 1-5, wherein the first portion of the plurality of RSs are associated with a first number of ports,wherein the second portion of the plurality of RSs are associated with a second number of ports,wherein the first plurality of beams are associated with the first number of ports, and wherein the second plurality of beams are associated with a number of ports based on a summation of the first number of ports and the second number of ports.

7. The method of any of Claims 1-6, further comprising:receiving (1910) the first portion of the plurality of RSs; andreceiving (1940) the second portion of the plurality of RSs.

8. The method of Claim 7, wherein receiving the second portion of the plurality of RSs comprises receiving the second portion of the plurality of RSs subsequent to receiving the first portion of the plurality of RSs.

9. The method of any of Claims 7-8, wherein receiving the first portion of the plurality of RSs comprises receiving the first portion of the plurality of RSs during a first time slot, and wherein receiving the second portion of the plurality of RSs comprises receiving the second portion of the plurality of RSs during a second time slot that is subsequent to the first time slot.

10. The method of any of Claims 7-9, wherein receiving the second portion of the plurality of RSs comprises receiving the second portion of the plurality of RSs subsequent to determining the second measurement of the one or more RSs of the second portion of the plurality of RSs.

11. The method of any of Claims 7-10, wherein selecting the first set of beams comprises selecting the first set of beams prior to determining the second measurement of the one or more RSs of the second portion of the plurality of RSs.

12. The method of any of Claims 1-11, wherein the first portion of the plurality of RSs and the second portion of the plurality of RSs are mutually exclusive and together include all of the RSs of the plurality of RSs.

13. The method of any of Claims 1-12, wherein determining the second measurement of the one or more RSs of the second portion of the plurality of RSs comprises determining the second measurement of the one or more RSs of the second portion of the plurality of RSs subsequent to selecting the first set of beams.

14. The method of any of Claims 1-13, wherein transmitting the indication of the second set of beams comprises transmitting an indication of a precoding matrix indicator, PMI based on the second set of beams.

15. The method of Claim 14, wherein the PMI is a first PMI, andwherein transmitting the indication of the second set of beams comprises transmitting an indication of the first PMI and a second PMI based on the first set of beams.

16. The method of any of Claims 1-15, wherein the plurality of RSs are a plurality of channel state information RSs, CSI-RSs.

17. The method of Claim 16, wherein transmitting the indication of the second set of beams comprises transmitting CSI feedback including an indication of at least one of:a rank indicator, RI;a precoding matrix indicator, PMI; anda channel quality indicator, CQI.

18. The method of any of Claims 1-17, wherein selecting the first set of beams from the first plurality of beams comprises selecting the first set of beams from a first plurality of oversampled beams based on the first measurement of the one or more RSs of the first portion of the plurality of RSs.

19. The method of any of Claims 1-18, wherein selecting the second set of beams from the second plurality of beams comprises selecting the second set of beams from a second plurality of oversampled beams based on the first measurement and the second measurement, each beam of the second plurality of oversampled beams having a direction that is within a direction of a beam in the first set of beams.

19. The method of any of Claims 1-18, wherein selecting the first set of beams comprises: determining a number of beams to be selected from the first plurality of beams based on a rank indicator restriction; andselecting the number of beams from the first plurality of beams to form the first set of beams.

20. The method of any of Claims 1-19, wherein the first measurement of the one or more RSs of the first portion of the plurality of RSs and / or the second measurement of the one or more RSs of the second portion of the plurality of RSs comprise at least one of:a reference signal received power, RSRP;a reference signal received quality, RSRQ;a signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio, SINR; anda signal-to-noise ratio, SNR.

21. A user equipment, UE, (2200) adapted to perform operations comprising:determining (1920) a first measurement of one or more reference signals, RSs, of a first portion of a plurality of RSs received from a network node;selecting (1930) a first set of beams from a first plurality of beams usable for communication with the network node based on the first measurement of the one or more RSs of the first portion of the plurality of RSs;determining (1950) a second measurement of one or more RSs of a second portion of the plurality of RSs received from the network node;selecting (1960) a second set of beams from a second plurality of beams usable for communication with the network node based on the first measurement and the second measurement, each beam of the second plurality of beams having a direction that is within a direction of a beam in the first set of beams; andtransmitting (1970) an indication of the second set of beams to the network node.

22. The UE of Claim 20, the operations further comprising any of the operations of Claims 2-20.

23. A computer program comprising program code to be executed by processing circuitry (2202) of a user equipment, UE, (2200), whereby execution of the program code causes the UE to perform operations comprising:determining (1920) a first measurement of one or more reference signal, RSs, of a first portion of a plurality of RSs received from a network node;selecting (1930) a first set of beams from a first plurality of beams usable for communication with the network node based on the first measurement of the one or more RSs of the first portion of the plurality of RSs;determining (1950) a second measurement of one or more RSs of a second portion of the plurality of RSs received from the network node;selecting (1960) a second set of beams from a second plurality of beams usable for communication with the network node based on the first measurement and the second measurement, each beam of the second plurality of beams having a direction that is within a direction of a beam in the first set of beams; andtransmitting (1970) an indication of the second set of beams to the network node.

24. The computer program of Claim 23, the operations further comprising any of the operations of Claims 2-20.

25. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory storage medium (2210) including program code to be executed by processing circuitry (2202) of a user equipment, UE, (2200), whereby execution of the program code causes the UE to perform operations comprising:determining (1920) a first measurement of one or more reference signal, RSs, of a first portion of a plurality of RSs received from a network node;selecting (1930) a first set of beams from a first plurality of beams usable for communication with the network node based on the first measurement of the one or more RSs of the first portion of the plurality of RSs;determining (1950) a second measurement of one or more RSs of a second portion of the plurality of RSs received from the network node;selecting (1960) a second set of beams from a second plurality of beams usable for communication with the network node based on the first measurement and the secondmeasurement, each beam of the second plurality of beams having a direction that is within a direction of a beam in the first set of beams; andtransmitting (1970) an indication of the second set of beams to the network node.

26. The computer program product of Claim 25, the operations further comprising any of the operations of Claims 2-20.

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