Patent Description:
To meet the demand for wireless data traffic having increased since deployment of <NUM>th generation (<NUM>) communication systems, efforts have been made to develop an improved <NUM>th generation (<NUM>) or pre-<NUM> communication system. Therefore, the <NUM> or pre-<NUM> communication system is also called a 'Beyond <NUM> Network' or a 'Post long-term evolution (LTE) System'. The <NUM> communication system is considered to be implemented in higher frequency millimeter (mm) Wave bands, e.g., <NUM> gigahertz (GHz) bands, so as to accomplish higher data rates. In the <NUM> communication system, Hybrid FSK and QAM Modulation (FQAM) and sliding window superposition coding (SWSC) as an advanced coding modulation (ACM), and filter bank multi carrier (FBMC), non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA), and sparse code multiple access (SCMA) as an advanced access technology have been developed.

There is a need for a method for updating beam information in relation to an operation of a terminal configuring and activating beam information (spatial relation) used for physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmission.

<CIT> relates to beam management and/or power control for physical channels such as physical uplink control channel and physical uplink shared channel, and physical signals such as sounding reference signals.

Accordingly, an aspect of the disclosure is to provide a method for improving an existing method of measuring and applying path loss using a multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) capability in a next-generation mobile communication system using a beam, particularly in a method in which a user equipment (UE) measures path loss in a communication channel and applies the pass loss. In particular, pass loss measurement may be increased due to an increase in the number of transmission and reception antennas of a UE, and an operation of dynamically updating valid path loss measurement may be needed.

Further, the disclosure relates to an operation of a UE configuring and activating beam information (spatial relation) used for physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmission in a next-generation mobile communication system using a beam. Generally, it is possible to update or indicate a beam (spatial relation) through a single medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC CE) for a PUCCH resource in a specific bandwidth part (BWP) within one serving cell. However, since a plurality of PUCCH resources may be configured in one serving cell and a BWP, a plurality of MAC CE transmissions is required to update beam information about all the configured PUCCH resources, thus causing an increase in signaling and latency time.

Technical tasks to be achieved in the disclosure are not limited to the technical aspects mentioned above, and other technical aspects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

The following aspects are included for illustrative purposes.

A first aspect provides a method of performed by a terminal in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:.

A second aspect provides a method of performed by a base station in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:.

A third aspect provides a terminal in a wireless communication system, the terminal comprising:.

A fourth aspect provides a base station in a wireless communication system, the terminal comprising:.

According to an embodiment, it is possible to dynamically measure and apply a plurality of path loss resources configured by a base station in a next-generation mobile communication system using a beam, particularly in a method in which a UE measures path loss in a communication channel and applies the pass loss.

Further, beam information applied to transmission of a PUCCH resource configured in a BWP of a serving cell may be updated by being commonly applied to a plurality of PUCCH resources rather than being indicated per individual PUCCH resource in a next-generation mobile communication system, thereby reducing latency time in applying a corresponding configuration and reducing signaling overhead for the update.

In the following, the invention is best understood in view of <FIG>, <FIG> and <FIG>. The remaining embodiments, aspects and examples disclosed below are included for illustrative purposes and for facilitating the understanding of the invention.

Technical tasks to be achieved in the disclosure are not limited to the technical aspects mentioned above, and other technical aspects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

It includes various specific detailed to assist in that understanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary.

Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, terms and designations defined in 3rd Generation Partnership Project Long-Term Evolution (3GPP LTE) standards are used in the disclosure. However, the disclosure is not limited by those terms and designations but may be equally applied to systems in accordance with other standards.

<FIG> illustrates a structure of an LTE system according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, a radio access network of the LTE system may include an evolved node B (hereinafter, "eNB", "Node B", or "base station") <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>, a mobility management entity (MME) <NUM>, and a serving gateway (S-GW) <NUM>. A user equipment (hereinafter, "UE" or "terminal") <NUM> accesses an external network through the eNBs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> and the S-GW <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the eNBs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> correspond to existing nodes B of a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS). The eNBs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> are connected to the UE <NUM> over a wireless channel and perform a more complex role than that of the existing Nodes B. In the LTE system, all user traffic including a real-time service, such as a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) service, is provided through a shared channel. Therefore, a device that collects state information, such as buffer status, available transmission power state, and channel state of UEs (e.g., the UE <NUM>), and performs scheduling is required. The eNBs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> are responsible for these functions. One eNB <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM> generally controls a plurality of cells. For example, in order to realize a transmission speed of <NUM> Mbps, the LTE system uses orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (hereinafter, "OFDM") as a radio access technology, for example, at a bandwidth of <NUM> megahertz (MHz). In addition, the LTE system applies adaptive modulation & coding (hereinafter, "AMC"), which determines a modulation scheme and a channel coding rate according to the channel state of the UE <NUM>. The S-GW <NUM> is a device that provides a data bearer and generates or removes a data bearer under the control of the MME <NUM>. The MME <NUM> is a device that performs not only a mobility management function for the UE <NUM> but also various control functions and is connected to a plurality of base stations <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates a wireless protocol structure of an LTE system according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, a wireless protocol of the LTE system includes packet data convergence protocols (PDCPs) <NUM> and <NUM>, radio link controls (RLCs) <NUM> and <NUM>, and medium access controls (MACs) <NUM> and <NUM> respectively in a UE and an eNB. The PDCPs <NUM> and <NUM> are responsible for IP header compression/decompression or the like. Main functions of the PDCPs <NUM> and <NUM> are summarized as follows.

The radio link controls (hereinafter, "RLCs") <NUM> and <NUM> reconstructs a PDCP packet data unit (PDU) into a proper size and performs an automatic repeat request (ARQ) operation. Main functions of the RLCs <NUM> and <NUM> are summarized as follows.

The MACs <NUM> and <NUM> are connected to a plurality of RLC-layer devices configured in one UE, multiplex RLC PDUs into a MAC PDU, and demultiplex an MAC PDU into RLC PDUs. Main functions of the MACs <NUM> and <NUM> are summarized as follows.

Physical (PHY) layers <NUM> and <NUM> perform channel coding and modulation of upper-layer data and convert the data into OFDM symbols to transmit the OFDM symbols via a wireless channel, or demodulate OFDM symbols received via a wireless channel and perform channel decoding of the OFDM symbols to deliver the OFDM symbols to an upper layer. The PHY layers <NUM> and <NUM> also use hybrid ARQ (HARQ) for additional error correction, in which a receiver transmits one bit to indicate whether a packet transmitted from a transmitter is received. This is referred to as HARQ ACK/NACK information. Downlink HARQ ACK/NACK information in response to uplink transmission may be transmitted through a physical channel, such as a physical hybrid-ARQ indicator channel (PHICH), and uplink HARQ ACK/NACK information in response to downlink transmission may be transmitted through a physical channel, such as a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) or physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

The PHY layers <NUM> and <NUM> may include one frequency/carrier or a plurality of frequencies/carriers, and a technology of simultaneously configuring and using a plurality of frequencies is referred to as carrier aggregation (hereinafter, "CA"). In CA, instead of using one carrier, a main carrier and one additional subcarrier or a plurality of additional subcarriers is used for communication between a terminal (or UE) and a base station (E-UTRAN NodeB: eNB), thereby dramatically increasing the transmission amount in relation to the number of subcarriers. In LTE, a cell of a base station using a main carrier is referred to as a primary cell (PCell), and a cell using a subcarrier is referred to as a secondary cell (SCell).

Although not shown in the drawing, a radio resource control (hereinafter, "RRC") layer exists above the PDCP layer of each of the UE and the base station. The RRC layer may exchange connection and measurement-related setup control messages for radio resource control.

<FIG> illustrates the structure of a next-generation mobile communication system according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, a radio access network of the next-generation mobile communication system includes a new radio node B (hereinafter, "NR NB" or "gNB") <NUM> and a new radio core network (NR CN or next-generation core network (NG CN)) <NUM>. A new radio user equipment (hereinafter, "NR UE" or "terminal") <NUM> accesses an external network through the NR gNB <NUM> and the NR CN <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the NR gNB <NUM> corresponds to an evolved node B (eNB) of an existing LTE system. The NR gNB <NUM> is connected to the NR UE <NUM> over a wireless channel and may provide a more advanced service than that of the existing node B. In the next-generation mobile communication system, all user traffic may be served through a shared channel. Therefore, a device that collects state information, such as buffer status, available transmission power state, and channel state of UEs (e.g., NR UE <NUM>), and performs scheduling is required. The NR gNB <NUM> is responsible for these functions. One NR gNB <NUM> generally controls a plurality of cells. The next-generation mobile communication system may have a bandwidth greater than the existing maximum bandwidth in order to realize ultrahigh-speed data transmission compared to a current LTE. Further, the next-generation mobile communication system may employ a beamforming technique in addition to OFDM as a radio access technology. In addition, the next-generation mobile communication system applies AMC, which determines a modulation scheme and a channel coding rate according to the channel state of the NR UE <NUM>. The NR CN <NUM> performs functions of mobility support, bearer setup, and quality of service (QoS) setup. The NR CN <NUM> is a device that performs not only a mobility management function for the NR UE <NUM> but also various control functions and is connected to a plurality of base stations (e.g., NR gNB <NUM>). The next-generation mobile communication system may also interwork with the existing LTE system, in which case the NR CN <NUM> is connected to an MME <NUM> through a network interface. The MME <NUM> is connected to an eNB <NUM>, which is an existing base station.

<FIG> illustrates the wireless protocol structure of a next-generation mobile communication system according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, a wireless protocol of the next-generation mobile communication system includes NR SDAPs <NUM> and <NUM>, NR PDCPs <NUM> and <NUM>, NR RLCs <NUM> and <NUM>, and NR MACs <NUM> and <NUM> respectively at a UE and an NR base station.

Main functions of the NR SDAPs <NUM> and <NUM> may include some of the following functions.

Regarding the SDAP-layer devices, the UE may receive a configuration about whether to use a header of the SDAP-layer devices or whether to use a function of the SDAP-layer devices for each PDCP-layer device, each bearer, or each logical channel via an RRC message. When an SDAP header is configured, a one-bit NAS QoS reflective indicator (NAS reflective QoS) and a one-bit AS QoS reflective indicator (AS reflective QoS) of the SDAP header may be used for indication to enable the UE to update or reconfigure uplink and downlink QoS flows and mapping information for a data bearer. The SDAP header may include QoS flow ID information indicating QoS. The QoS information may be used as a data processing priority, scheduling information, and the like in order to support a desired service.

Main functions of the NR PDCPs <NUM> and <NUM> may include some of the following functions.

Among the above functions, the reordering function of the NR PDCP devices refers to a function of rearranging PDCP PDUs received in a lower layer in order on the basis of the PDCP sequence number (SN). The reordering function of the NR PDCP devices may include a function of transmitting the data to an upper layer in the order of rearrangement or a function of immediately transmitting the data regardless of the order. In addition, the reordering function may include a function of recording lost PDCP PDUs via reordering, may include a function of reporting the state of lost PDCP PDUs to a transmitter, and may include a function of requesting retransmission of lost PDCP PDUs.

Main functions of the NR RLCs <NUM> and <NUM> may include some of the following functions.

Among the above functions, the in-sequence delivery function of the NR RLC devices refers to a function of delivering RLC SDUs received from a lower layer to an upper layer in order. The in-sequence delivery function of the NR RLC devices may include a function of reassembling and delivering a plurality of RLC SDUs when one original RLC SDU is divided into the plurality of RLC SDUs to be received. The in-sequence delivery function of the NR RLC devices may include a function of rearranging received RLC PDUs on the basis of the RLC SN or the PDCP SN, may include a function of recording lost RLC PDUs via reordering, may include a function of reporting the state of lost RLC PDUs to a transmitter, and may include a function of requesting retransmission of lost RLC PDUs. If there is a lost RLC SDU, the in-sequence delivery function of the NR RLC devices may include a function of delivering only RLC SDUs before the lost RLC SDU to an upper layer in order. Further, the in-sequence delivery function of the NR RLC devices may include a function of delivering all RLC SDUs, received before a timer starts, to an upper layer in order when the timer has expired despite the presence of a lost RLC SDU. In addition, the in-sequence delivery function of the NR RLC devices may include a function of delivering all RLC SDUs received so far to an upper layer in order when the timer expires despite the presence of a lost RLC SDU. The NR RLC devices may process RLC PDUs in order of reception (regardless of the order of sequence numbers, in order of arrival) and may deliver the RLC PDUs to the PDCP devices in an out-of-sequence manner. When receiving a segment, the NR RLC devices may receive segments that are stored in a buffer or are to be received later, may reconstruct the segments into one whole RLC PDU, and may deliver the RLC PDU to the PDCP devices. The NR RLC layers may not include a concatenation function, and the concatenation function may be performed in the NR MAC layers or may be replaced with a multiplexing function of the NR MAC layers.

The out-of-sequence delivery function of the NR RLC devices refers to a function of delivering RLC SDUs received from a lower layer directly to an upper layer regardless of order. The out-of-sequence delivery function of the NR RLC devices may include a function of reassembling and delivering a plurality of RLC SDUs when one original RLC SDU is divided into the plurality of RLC SDUs to be received. In addition, the out-of-sequence delivery function of the NR RLC devices may include a function of recording lost RLC PDUs by storing and reordering the RLC SNs or PDCP SNs of received RLC PDUs.

The NR MACs <NUM> and <NUM> may be connected to a plurality of NR RLC-layer devices configured in one device, and main functions of the NR MACs may include some of the following functions.

The NR PHY layers <NUM> and <NUM> may perform channel coding and modulation of upper-layer data and convert the data into OFDM symbols to transmit the OFDM symbols via a wireless channel, or demodulate OFDM symbols received via a wireless channel and perform channel decoding of the OFDM symbols to deliver the OFDM symbols to an upper layer.

<FIG> illustrates the structure of another next-generation mobile communication system according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, a cell served by an NR gNB <NUM> operating based on a beam may include a plurality of transmission and reception points (TRPs) <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. The TRPs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> refer to blocks having some functions of transmitting and receiving physical signals separated from an existing NR base station (eNB) and may include a plurality of antennas. The NR gNB <NUM> may be represented by a central unit (CU), and the TRPs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may be represented by distributed units (DUs). Functions of the NR gNB <NUM> and the TRPs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may be configured by separating individual PDCP/RLC/MAC/PHY layers (<NUM>). That is, the TRPs <NUM> and <NUM> may have only a PHY layer and may perform the functions of the PHY layer, and the TRPs <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may have only a PHY layer and a MAC layer and may perform the functions of the PHY and MAC layers. The TRPs <NUM> and <NUM> may have only a PHY layer, a MAC layer, and an RLC layer and may perform the functions of the PHY, MAC, and RLC layers. In particular, the TRPs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may use a beamforming technique for transmitting and receiving data by generating narrow beams in different directions using a plurality of transmission and reception antennas. A UE <NUM> accesses the NR gNB <NUM> and an external network through the TRPs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. The NR gNB <NUM> supports a connection between the UE <NUM> and a core network (CN), particularly an AMF/SMF <NUM> by collecting state information, such as buffer status, available transmission power state, and channel state of the UE <NUM>, and performing scheduling in order to provide services for users.

<FIG> illustrates a frame structure used by an NR system according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

The NR system aims at a higher transmission speed than that in LTE and considers a scenario of operating at a high frequency to secure a wide frequency bandwidth. In particular, the NR system considers a scenario of generating a directional beam at a high frequency and transmitting data having a high data rate to a UE.

Referring to <FIG>, a scenario in which an NR base station or a TRP (e.g., a base station <NUM>) uses different beams when communicating with UEs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> in a cell may be considered. That is, in this illustrated drawing, a scenario is assumed in which UE <NUM><NUM> uses beam #<NUM><NUM> for communication, UE <NUM><NUM> uses beam #<NUM><NUM> for communication, and UE <NUM><NUM>, UE <NUM><NUM>, and UE <NUM><NUM> use beam #<NUM><NUM> for communication.

In order to measure which beam the UEs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> use to communicate with the TRP, an overhead subframe (hereinafter, "osf" <NUM>) in which a common overhead signal is transmitted exists in time. The osf <NUM> may include a primary synchronization signal (PSS) for obtaining timing of an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, a secondary synchronization signal (SSS) for detecting a cell ID, and the like. In addition, the osf <NUM> may transmit a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) including system information, a master information block (MIB), or information essential for a UE to access the system (e.g., a bandwidth of a downlink beam, a system frame number, and the like). Further, in the osf <NUM>, the base station <NUM> transmits a reference signal using a different beam for each symbol (or over a plurality of symbols). The UEs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may derive a beam index value for identifying each beam from the reference signal. In this illustrated drawing, it is assumed that there are <NUM> beams from beam #<NUM><NUM> to beam #<NUM><NUM> transmitted by the base station <NUM> and a different beam is transmitted by sweeping per symbol in the osf <NUM>. That is, an individual beam may be transmitted per symbol in the osf <NUM> (e.g., beam #<NUM><NUM> is transmitted in a first symbol <NUM>, beam #<NUM><NUM> is transmitted in a second symbol <NUM>, and the like), and the UEs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may measure the osf <NUM> to measure a beam via which the strongest signal is transmitted among beams transmitted in the osf <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates a scenario in which the osf <NUM> is repeated every <NUM> subframes, and remaining <NUM> subframes are data subframes (hereinafter, "dsf" <NUM>) in which normal data is transmitted and received. Accordingly, it is assumed that, according to scheduling by the base station <NUM>, UE <NUM><NUM>, UE <NUM><NUM>, and UE <NUM><NUM> commonly use beam #<NUM><NUM> to perform communication (<NUM>), UE <NUM><NUM> uses beam #<NUM><NUM> to perform communication (<NUM>), and UE <NUM><NUM> uses beam #<NUM><NUM> to perform communication (<NUM>). In this illustrated drawing, transmission beam #<NUM><NUM> to transmission beam #<NUM><NUM> of the base station <NUM> are mainly schematized, but reception beams of the UEs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> (e.g., a first reception beam <NUM>, a second reception beam <NUM>, a third reception beam <NUM>, and a fourth reception beam <NUM> of UE <NUM><NUM>) for receiving the transmission beams of the base station <NUM> may be further considered. In this illustrated drawing, UE <NUM><NUM> has four beams <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> and performs beam sweeping in order to determine which beam has the best reception performance. Here, when a plurality of beams cannot be used at the same time, as many osfs <NUM> as the number of reception beams may be received using one reception beam for each osf <NUM>, thereby finding an optimal transmission beam of the base station <NUM> and an optimal reception beam of the UE <NUM>.

The disclosure describes a method for reducing measurement complexity of a UE due to an increase in the number of path loss resources that can be measured through enhancement of an MIMO function and dynamically controlling measurement of various path loss resources in an existing operation of measuring a path loss resource in a next-generation mobile communication system and determining uplink transmission power in view of the path loss resource.

Generally, uplink transmission power consumption may be defined as follows.

As shown above, a UE may determine uplink transmission strength as the sum of the transmission power of a downlink signal received from a base station, signal strength measured through a path loss reference signal (RS), and a dynamic adjustment having an impact in a UE RF. That is, measurement of the path loss reference signal is necessary to calculate signal strength for uplink transmission, and a configuration of a measurement resource type and a method for the measurement is included in an uplink configuration (e.g., PUSCH-Config, sounding reference signal (SRS)-Config, or the like). A specific operation will be described in detail in the following embodiments. For reference, the measurement of the path loss reference signal is an L3 measurement value (determined by the UE in view of both a previous measurement value and a current measurement value), in which a measurement window exists.

<FIG> illustrates a scenario of a measurement resource type and an indication for a path loss reference signal (hereinafter, "path loss RS") configured in a PUSCH in an NR system according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Particularly, this drawing illustrates an operation in an existing NR system, which may be referred to in an embodiment proposed by the disclosure.

For measurement of a path loss RS applicable to PUSCH transmission, up to four available path loss RS resources may be configured in a PUSCH-Config through a current RRC message, and a UE may measure a configured path loss RS and may apply the path loss RS to PUSCH transmission. That is, the UE determines PUSCH transmission power considering a path loss RS measurement value. An operation of configuring and applying a path loss RS used for PUSCH transmission is as follows.

Referring to <FIG>, as in phase <NUM>, configurations of up to four path loss RSs that can be configured particularly through PUSCH-PathlossReferenceRS in PUSCH-Config of the RRC message may be indicated (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>). In addition, path loss RSs associated with <NUM> SRIs that can be configured particularly through SRI-PUSCH-PowerControl in PUSCH-Config of the RRC message may be indicated (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>). Mapping between the SRIs and the path loss RSs configured through the RRC message is configured, and one path loss RS used for actual PUSCH transmission is indicated via an SRI through DCI. There is no restriction on mapping between the SRIs and the path loss RSs except that up to four path loss RSs can be configured.

<FIG> illustrates an overall operation of a UE for a measurement resource type and an indication for a path loss RS configured in a PUSCH in an NR system according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, an operation in an existing NR system, which may be referred to in an embodiment proposed by the disclosure.

In an RRC-connected state, a UE receives PUSCH configuration information, in operation <NUM>, and the configuration information may provide path loss RS configuration information required to determine signal strength and power for PUSCH transmission and configuration information about an association between an SRI and a path loss RS. Specific configuration information and a specific operation have been described in detail with reference to <FIG>. In operation <NUM>, the UE performs L3 measurement on up to four path loss RS resources configured in operation <NUM> and stores and manages measurement values. In operation <NUM>, when a base station indicates scheduling for uplink transmission (PUSCH) of the UE, the base station may indicate not only scheduling resource information but also a specific path loss RS applied to calculation of signal strength and power for the transmission through DCI, and the UE may receive the DCI. That is, the base station may indicate the path loss RS mapped with an SRI of the DCI, and the UE may measure a corresponding path loss RS resource and may calculate path loss. In operation <NUM>, the UE may determine power for a PUSCH transmission signal considering the pass loss.

<FIG> illustrates a scenario of a measurement resource type, dynamic mapping updating, and a valid resource indication for a plurality of path loss RSs configured in a PUSCH in an NR system according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

For measurement of a path loss RS applied to PUSCH transmission, a base station may configure up to <NUM> path loss RS resources for a UE in PUSCH-Config through an RRC message, and the UE may measure up to four path loss RS resources among configured path loss RSs and may apply the measurement to PUSCH transmission. That is, the UE calculates PUSCH transmission power in view of a path loss RS measurement value. To this end, there is a need for a method for indicating a resource initially measured by the UE (up to four resources) even though the base station configures up to <NUM> path loss RS resources for the UE through an RRC configuration. This method is described below. An operation of configuring and applying a path loss RS used for PUSCH transmission is as follows.

Referring to <FIG>, as in phase <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> indicate configurations of up to <NUM> path loss RSs that can be configured particularly through PUSCH-PathlossReferenceRS in PUSCH-Config of the RRC message. As illustrated, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> indicate a mapping relationship of path loss RSs associated with SRIs that can be initially configured particularly through SRI-PUSCH-PowerControl in PUSCH-Config of the RRC message. Mapping between the SRIs and the path loss RSs configured through the RRC message is configured, and one path loss RS used for actual PUSCH transmission is indicated via an SRI through DCI. There is no restriction on mapping between the SRIs and the path loss RSs except that up to four path loss RSs can be configured. Subsequently, a path loss RS to be measured may be updated through the MAC CE for updating mapping between the path loss RSs and the SRIs, and a relationship between the path loss RSs and the SRIs is indicated by <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>.

A specific example is illustrated below. Eight pieces of SRI mapping information may be initially configured through the RRC message, each of which has a mapping relationship with a path loss RS as follows.

Subsequently, the mapping relationship between the SRIs and the path loss RSs is updated as follows by receiving the MAC CE.

Introducing dynamic updating of mapping between the SRIs and the path loss RSs described above may replace an existing procedure of updating an RRC configuration, making it possible to change configuration information with a low delay.

<FIG> illustrates an overall UE operation for a measurement resource type, dynamic mapping updating, and a valid resource indication for a plurality of path loss RSs configured in a PUSCH according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, a UE in an RRC-connected state may receive PUSCH configuration information in operation <NUM>, and the configuration information may provide path loss RS configuration information required to determine signal strength and power for PUSCH transmission and configuration information about an association between an SRI and a path loss RS. In particular, information about a path loss RS associated with an SRI that can be initially configured particularly through SRI-PUSCH-PowerControl in PUSCH-Config of an RRC message may be configured. Mapping between SRIs and path loss RSs configured through the RRC message may be configured, and one path loss RS used for actual PUSCH transmission may be indicated via an SRI through DCI. There is no restriction on mapping between the SRIs and the path loss RSs except that up to four path loss RSs can be configured. Specific configuration information and a specific operation have been described in detail with reference to <FIG>.

In operation <NUM>, the UE may perform L3 measurement on up to four path loss RS resources requiring initial measurement, configured in operation <NUM>, and may store and manage measurement values. In operation <NUM>, the UE may receive a path loss RS update MAC CE for updating the mapping between the path loss RSs and the SRIs through a base station and may update and manage information about the relationship between the path loss RSs and the SRIs using information indicated by the MAC CE. In operation <NUM>, the UE may measure a path loss RS according to a previous mapping rule for a specific time (transition time), and may measure and reflect a path loss RS configured in a newly changed mapping rule after the predetermined specific time (transition time). This is because path loss RS measurement is based on L3 measurement, and thus a measurement value cannot be changed immediately through the MAC CE, and the average value needs to be calculated by applying previous measurement values. A specific structure and information of the MAC CE and a specific operation will be described in more detail in the following embodiments. In particular, two methods may be considered in relation to an MAC CE structure for path loss RS updating.

In these two methods, a condition is also required that the total sum of path loss RSs associated with an SRI is limited to four. This is because the UE can measure and manage only up to four path loss RSs. That is, in operation <NUM>, the UE may measure and manage up to four path loss RSs based on the information updated in operation <NUM>.

In operation <NUM>, the UE may receive scheduling for uplink transmission (PUSCH) from the base station through DCI, and the control information may indicate not only scheduling resource information but also a specific path loss RS applied to calculation of signal strength and power for the transmission. That is, the path loss RS mapped with an SRI of the DCI may be indicated, and the UE may measure a corresponding path loss RS resource and may calculate path loss. In operation <NUM>, the UE may determine power for a PUSCH transmission signal considering the pass loss.

<FIG> illustrates a first MAC CE and a first mapping method for dynamic updating of a path loss RS requiring measurement according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, a plurality of SRI indexes to which one path loss RS is applied. To indicate updating of a plurality of path loss RSs, a plurality of MAC CEs needs to be transmitted. A new downlink MAC CE which has not previously existed needs to be introduced, and a new LCID may be allocated. The disclosure proposes option <NUM> of indicating a path loss RS in a bitmap and option <NUM> of directly indicating a path loss RS index, and specific MAC CE structures and related fields may be as follows.

<FIG> illustrates a second MAC CE and a second mapping method for dynamic updating of a path loss RS requiring measurement according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, is characterized in that mapping information about a plurality of SRI indexes to which one path loss RS is applied indicates that a plurality of sets is simultaneously updated. That is, to indicate updating of a plurality of path loss RSs, rather than requiring transmission of a plurality of MAC CEs as in <FIG>, a plurality of path loss RSs is indicated through one MAC CE and mapping information about an SRI associated with the path loss RSs is provided. A new downlink MAC CE which has not previously existed needs to be introduced, and a new LCID may be allocated. The disclosure proposes option <NUM> of indicating a path loss RS in a bitmap and option <NUM> of directly indicating a path loss RS index, and specific MAC CE structures and related fields may be as follows.

<FIG> illustrates an overall UE operation for a measurement resource type and dynamic resource indication for a path loss RS configured in SRS transmission according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, a UE in an RRC-connected state may receive configuration information about an SRS resource in operation <NUM>, and the configuration information may provide path loss RS configuration information required to determine signal strength and power for SRS resource transmission. In particular, path loss RS configuration information applied to one SRS resource set may be provided to the UE through SRS-ResourceSet in SRS-Config of an RRC message. Although one path loss RS is configured via RRC, up to <NUM> resources may be configured. Table <NUM> relates to a path loss RS configuration method for SRS transmission based on Rel-<NUM>, and a plurality of path loss RS configurations may be subsequently added in SRS-ResourceSet in an extended manner. Further, it is necessary to indicate an initial path loss resource requiring initial measurement. In one example, a previously used field may be used as an initial value, and an extended path loss RS configuration may be used for dynamic resource updating through a MAC CE.

The UE may perform L3 measurement on the path loss RS resource requiring initial measurement, configured in operation <NUM>, and may store and manage measurement values. In operation <NUM>, the UE receives an MAC CE for actually measuring a plurality of path loss RSs configured in operation <NUM> and indicating a resource which needs to be applied from a base station. A specific MAC CE structure and a specific operation will be described in <FIG>. In operation <NUM>, the UE may measure a path loss RS resource indicated through the received MAC CE, may calculate path loss, and may determine power for an SRS transmission signal in view of the path loss.

<FIG> illustrates an MAC CE and a mapping method for dynamic updating of a path loss RS requiring measurement according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, a UE may configure a plurality of path loss RS resources in SRS-Config (specifically, an SRS-ResourceSet configuration) of an RRC message. Further, it is necessary to indicate an initial path loss resource requiring initial measurement. In one example, a previously used field may be used as an initial value, and an extended path loss RS configuration may be used for dynamic resource updating through an MAC CE. Subsequently, when it is necessary to update a resource for measuring a path loss RS which is applied to SRS transmission and is needed to calculate transmission power, the resource may be updated to one of a plurality of path loss RSs through the MAC CE. The structure illustrated in <FIG> may be used.

<FIG> illustrates the overall operation of a measurement and application of a path loss RS for PUSCH and SRS transmission according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, a UE <NUM> may camp on a specific base station <NUM>, in operation <NUM>, and may perform RRC connection setup with a corresponding serving cell, in operation <NUM>. The UE <NUM> may perform data transmission and reception with the base station <NUM> in operation <NUM>, and the base station <NUM> may provide configuration information for path loss calculation which the UE <NUM> needs to consider for uplink transmission through an RRC configuration, in operation <NUM>. In operation <NUM>, the UE <NUM> may receive PUSCH configuration information and SRS configuration information. The PUSCH configuration information may include a plurality of pieces (up to <NUM> pieces) of path loss RS configuration information required to determine signal strength and power for PUSCH transmission and configuration information about an association between an SRI and a path loss RS, and the SRS configuration information may include a plurality of pieces (up to <NUM> pieces) of path loss RS configuration information for SRS transmission configured per SRS-ResourceSet. In operation <NUM>, the UE <NUM> may perform L3 measurement on up to four path loss RS resources requiring initial measurement configured for a PUSCH and an initial path loss resource configured for an SRS, and may store and manage measurement values.

In operation <NUM>, the UE <NUM> may receive a path loss RS update MAC CE for updating mapping between the path loss RS and the SRI through the base station <NUM> and may update and manage the mapping using information indicated by the MAC CE. In operation <NUM>, the UE <NUM> may receive scheduling for uplink transmission (PUSCH) from the base station <NUM> through DCI, and the control information may include not only scheduling resource information but also information indicating a specific path loss RS applied to calculation of signal strength and power for the transmission. That is, the path loss RS mapped with an SRI of the DCI may be indicated, and the UE <NUM> may measure a corresponding path loss RS resource and may calculate path loss. In operation <NUM>, the UE <NUM> may determine power for a PUSCH transmission signal considering the pass loss and may perform transmission.

The UE <NUM> may perform SRS transmission according to a configured SRS transmission configuration while performing the foregoing operation, in which the UE <NUM> may determine transmission power based on a path loss RS indicated through an initial RRC configuration. In operation <NUM>, the UE <NUM> may receive an MAC CE indicating a path loss resource which needs to be measured and applied in actual SRS transmission from the base station <NUM>. In operation <NUM>, the UE <NUM> may measure a path loss RS resource indicated by the received MAC CE, may calculate path loss, and may determine power for an SRS transmission signal in view of the pass loss.

<FIG> illustrates an overall operation of a base station to which the disclosure is applied according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, the base station establishes connection setup with a UE, in operation <NUM>, and requests and receives a capability of the UE, in operation <NUM>. In operation <NUM>, the base station may determine whether the UE has a dynamic path loss RS updating capability according to the capability of the UE. Subsequently, in operation <NUM>, the base station may provide RRC configuration information to the UE in view of the capability of the UE. In operation <NUM>, the base station may provide a plurality of path loss RS configurations to the UE via a PUSCH configuration and an SRS configuration information. For a UE with a dynamic path loss RS updating capability, the base station may update information about mapping between a path loss RS and an SRI applicable to PUSCH transmission through an MAC CE, in operation <NUM>. In operation <NUM>, the base station may forward to the UE an indication for a path loss RS which needs to be applied to actual PUSCH and SRS transmission in association with an SRI index via DCI or may indicate to the UE a specific path loss RS index through an MAC CE. In operation <NUM>, the base station may receive an uplink signal transmitted from the UE.

According to the disclosure, in order to improve an MIMO operation in a next-generation mobile communication system, it is generally possible to update/indicate a beam (spatial relation) through a single MAC CE for a PUCCH resource in a specific bandwidth part (BWP) within one serving cell in an operation of a UE configuring and activating beam information (spatial relation) used for PUCCH transmission. However, since a plurality of PUCCH resources may be configured in one serving cell and a BWP, a plurality of MAC CE transmissions is required to update beam information about all the configured PUCCH resources, thus causing an increase in signaling and latency time. Therefore, the disclosure proposes a method in which a plurality of PUCCH resources is configured and pieces of information about beams for transmitting the plurality of PUCCH resources are simultaneously updated.

<FIG> illustrates a structure of a next-generation mobile communication system and a scenario in which a PUCCH resource configuration and a beam activation operation are applied according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, there may be a plurality of cells served by NR gNBs operating based on a beam. A UE <NUM> being connected to a specific cell (cell <NUM>) <NUM> may receive a configuration of a different serving cell (cell <NUM>) <NUM>. Accordingly, the UE <NUM> can transmit and receive data to and from a plurality of cells through CA. In an existing NR system, a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) configuration and a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) configuration may be provided per serving cell and BWP through an RRC control signal, thereby providing configuration information for reception of a downlink control signal and a data signal and related reception beam configuration information may be provided (<NUM> and <NUM>). In addition, PUCCH-Config may be provided per serving cell and BWP through the RRC control signal, and a PUCCH resource and a related transmission beam may be simultaneously configured according to the configuration (<NUM> and <NUM>). Currently, in one cell group, one PUCCH SCell may be further configured in addition to a primary cell (PCell)/primary-secondary cell (PSCell). A method for configuring a PUCCH resource in a PUCCH resource configuration operation through an RRC control message is as follows.

Based on the RRC configuration information about the PUCCH resource, the UE may transmit a PUCCH/ACK/NACK signal in response to a downlink signal. In addition, initial beam information associated with each PUCCH resource in the above operation may be beam information used in an initial RRC connection procedure (SSB in an initial RACH operation), and an MAC CE may be subsequently used to update beam information associated with a specific PUCCH resource. That is, a PUCCH spatial relation activation/deactivation MAC CE is used and has the following structure.

This operation indicates a beam through which a PUCCH resource in a serving cell and a BWP indicated by the MAC CE is transmitted. When receiving the MAC CE, the UE may update and apply information about a beam associated with the related PUCCH resource. As described above, PUCCH configuration information per BWP may be provided, and up to <NUM> PUCCH resources may be configured. Thus, updating through <NUM> MAC CEs may be required to update beam information about <NUM> configured PUCCH resources at worst, which increases latency in the corresponding operation and causes significant signaling overhead.

<FIG> illustrates an operation of simultaneously updating transmission beams by grouping a plurality of PUCCH resources configured through a plurality of serving cells and a BWP in an NR system according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

As described in <FIG>, the NR system is designed to enable data transmission/reception between a UE and a base station using a beam with directivity. Currently, only activation/deactivation of a beam (transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state or PUCCH spatial relation) in a specific BWP in one serving cell is possible. In the disclosure, a method in which a plurality of PUCCH resources is configured as a group and beam updating operations for the plurality of PUCCH resources are simultaneously supported is considered. The following specific scenarios are applicable.

According to the disclosure, it is possible to reduce latency time in a beam updating operation for a PUCCH resource and to reduce signaling overhead for the beam updating operation. The above three scenarios are different in level at which a group is configured for a plurality of PUCCH resources, and the groups may be configured and operated in cell group, cell, and BWP levels.

Referring to <FIG>, a UE <NUM> in an idle (RRC_IDLE) mode may search for a suitable cell, may camp on a corresponding base station, in operation <NUM>, and may then access the base station and a PCell <NUM> when data to be transmitted is generated, in operation <NUM>. In the idle mode, the UE is not connected to a network for power saving and thus cannot transmit data. The UE needs to transition to a connected (RRC_CONNECTED) mode for data transmission. The UE camping means that the UE stays in the cell and receives a paging message to determine whether downlink data is transmitted. When the UE succeeds in accessing the base station and the PCell <NUM>, the UE changes a state thereof to the connected (RRC_CONNECTED) mode, and can perform data transmission and reception with the base station in the connected mode, in operation <NUM>.

In operation <NUM>, the base station may transmit configuration information (ServingCellConfig) for configuring a plurality of serving cells and BWPs to the UE through an RRC message in the RRC-connected state. The RRC message may include configuration information for reception through a PDCCH and a PDSCH (PDCCH-Config and PDSCH-Config) and configuration information for PUCCH transmission (PUCCH-Config). Specifically, the RRC message may include a BWP configuration (BWP-Uplink and BWP-Downlink), a CORESET configuration, a scrambling configuration, a TCI state (TCI-State in PDSCH-Config) configuration, and the like. For example, the TCI state configuration may be provided per downlink BWP of each serving cell and may be individually included in PDCCH-Config and PDSCH-Config, and a beam configuration for PUCCH resource transmission may be included in PUCCH-Config. In the PUCCH configuration, a PUCCH resource, a PUCCH resource set, spatial relation information, and the like may be configured, and details of the configuration are as described in <FIG>. Particularly, in the above operation, the number of pieces of spatial relation information for a PUCCH resource may be increased from existing <NUM> to <NUM>, which means that a beam resolution for PUCCH resource transmission can be further increased.

According to the disclosure, in operation <NUM>, for example, in order to pre-configure a plurality of PUCCH resource groups applicable to the same transmission beam in an RRC configuration, a plurality of PUCCH resources or PUCCH resource sets applicable to the same transmission beam according to application of the foregoing three scenario may be configured as a single group. Alternatively, a current PUCCH resource set may serve as a PUCCH resource group for performing simultaneous beam updating. The PUCCH resource group may be configured and operated in a cell group, cell, or BWP level according to a scenario. In this operation, information about an applied beam for an initial PUCCH resource group may be configured through the RRC message. In this case, PUCCH transmission may be performed for the PUCCH resource group in association with preset initial beam information until a beam information update is indicated through a separate MAC CE.

Table <NUM> illustrates an RRC message that can be transmitted when RRC configuration scenario <NUM> is applied.

Alternatively, an applied beam-updating operation for a plurality of PUCCH resources may be supported via an MAC rather than pre-configuring a plurality of PUCCH resource groups applicable to the same transmission beam in an RRC configuration as in operation <NUM>. In this case, the PUCCH resource group through the RRC configuration described above may be omitted. A specific MAC CE structure and operation according to an applied scenario will be described in the following embodiments.

In operation <NUM>, the base station transmits an MAC CE for indicating/updating a transmission beam for a PUCCH resource configured via the RRC configuration information. In the disclosure, the MAC CE used in this operation may be an MAC CE indicating simultaneous transmission beam updating for a plurality of PUCCH resources. The type and structure of the MAC CE applied in this operation may vary according to embodiments and may be classified as follows.

According to the disclosure, simultaneous beam updating for a plurality of PUCCH resources may be possible in operation <NUM>, operation <NUM>. In operation <NUM>, the base station indicates downlink scheduling and downlink control information. The following embodiments provide specific method for updating. In operation <NUM>, data transmission and reception to which corresponding transmission and reception resources are applied may be performed through a downlink beam (TCI state) and an uplink beam (PUCCH resource transmission beam) indicated in operation <NUM> and operation <NUM>. For example, the UE performs uplink data reception through a beam configured for communication with the base station. In particular, ACK/NACK transmission may be performed through a PUCCH resource.

In operation <NUM>, the base station may further transmit an MAC CE in order to update the previously transmitted MAC CE and may update activated and deactivated beams using the MAC CE. In the disclosure, operation <NUM> is intended to perform updating of a beam for an individual PUCCH resource rather than simultaneous beam updating for a plurality of PUCCH resources. For example, simultaneous beam updating for a plurality of PUCCH resources may be activated in operation <NUM>, and beam updating for an individual PUCCH resource may be performed, in operation <NUM>, and communicate using the updated beam, in operation <NUM>.

The foregoing operation of configuring PUCCH resource as a group and simultaneously updating beams may update a beam by specifying a configured group ID or a specific group. Further, the foregoing operation may also support an operation of simultaneously updating beams for all additionally configured groups, which may be indicated by the MAC CE used in operation <NUM>, and the UE receiving the MAC CE may update beams for PUCCH resources for all the configured groups to an indicated beam. Alternatively, an additional group including all the groups may be configured in the RRC configuration operation of <NUM>. For example, PUCCH resources configured as a group may be configured in another group at the same time. A specific MAC CE structure and field will be described in a separate embodiment below.

The following embodiments propose specific methods in view of possible options as methods for supporting simultaneous beam updating for PUCCH resources described above. In particular, a third embodiment discloses a scenario in which an RRC reconfiguration is used as a method for configuring a PUCCH resource group. A fourth embodiment discloses a scenario in which all information about PUCCH resources requiring beam updating is included in a MAC CE. In addition, not only simultaneous beam updating for a PUCCH resource group including a plurality of PUCCH resources but also beam updating for an existing individual PUCCH resource is supported, thereby supporting an efficient beam updating operation in addition to a reduction in signaling overhead and latency time. An overall operation follows a flowchart illustrated in <FIG>, and specific operations will be described in the following embodiments.

<FIG> illustrates a UE operation of configuring a PUCCH resource group via an RRC control message and applying simultaneous beam updating for the PUCCH resource group through an MAC CE according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, in operation <NUM>, a UE in an RRC-connected state generates, stores, and transmits UE capability information to a base station in response to a UE capability request message from the base station. Particularly, in this operation, the UE capability information includes information about whether simultaneous beam updating for a plurality of PUCCH resources is supported. To indicate this information, two methods illustrated below may be used.

A one-bit indicator is employed to indicate whether the UE supports simultaneous beam updating for a plurality of PUCCH resources. When it is indicated that the UE supports a corresponding capability, the base station may establish a corresponding configuration.

An indicator is included to indicate whether the UE supports simultaneous beam updating for a plurality of PUCCH resources per specific band or band combination supported by the UE. The base station may configure a corresponding function only for a BC including the indicator.

When the indicators are indicated as TRUE in the foregoing methods for transmitting UE capability, the UE may equally apply the corresponding capability to all BWPs belonging to a component carrier of a UE or a BC in which the corresponding function is configured. Alternatively, a UE capability indicating that the corresponding capability is supported for each BWP may be added.

In operation <NUM>, the base station may transmit configuration information (ServingCellConfig) for configuring a plurality of serving cells to the UE through an RRC message. The RRC message includes configuration information for reception through a PDCCH and a PDSCH (PDCCH-Config and PDSCH-Config), and a beam configuration for PUCCH resource transmission may be included in PUCCH-Config. Specifically, the RRC message may include a BWP configuration (BWP-Uplink and BWP-Downlink), a CORESET configuration, a scrambling configuration, a TCI state (TCI-State in PDSCH-Config) configuration, a set of a PUCCH resource and a PUCCH resource, spatial relation information, and the like. For reference, regarding a spatial relation information configuration, while up to eight pieces of spatial relation information are supported, up to <NUM> pieces of spatial relation information may be determined and configured. Specifically, the TCI state configuration may be provided per downlink BWP of each serving cell and may be individually included in PDCCH-Config and PDSCH-Config, and a PUCCH resource configuration and a beam configuration for PUCCH resource transmission may also be included in PUCCH-Config. According to the third embodiment, in operation <NUM>, a list of PUCCH resources or PUCCH resource sets to which simultaneous beam updating for a plurality of PUCCH resources is applied is provided through the RRC message. The list is referred to as a PUCCH resource group in the disclosure, and the number of configured groups may be limited to four. However, this is merely an example, and the limited number may be set to a greater number. In addition, serving cell information (e.g., a SCell ID) and BWP information (e.g., a BWP ID) to which the same beam configuration is applied may also be configured along with a PUCCH resource ID or a PUCCH resource set ID in PUCCH-Config in which a PUCCH resource group is configured. A PUCCH resource ID or a PUCCH resource set ID including cell information (e.g., a SCell ID) and BWP information (e.g., a BWP ID) to which the corresponding function is applied may be provided at a CellGroupConfig or ServingCellConfig level. In this case, a PUCCH resource group configuration needs to be equally applied to each corresponding cell group or serving cell and may be applied to all indicated serving cells and BWPs.

In operation <NUM>, the UE may receive a MAC CE indicating a beam for PUCCH resource transmission from the base station. In this operation, the UE may receive a MAC CE indicating beam activation for an existing individual PUCCH resource or may receive a MAC CE indicating simultaneous beam updating for a plurality of newly defined PUCCH resources. A specific MAC CE structure will be described later.

In operation <NUM>, the UE analyzes the MAC CE received in operation <NUM> to determine which operation is indicated and then performs a relevant operation. When the received MAC CE indicates simultaneous beam updating for a plurality of PUCCH resources (by allocating a new LCID or including indication information (e.g., a one-bit indicator) indicating simultaneous beam updating in an existing MAC CE field), the UE needs to apply beam information in the received MAC CE to a PUCCH resource group mapped to a PUCCH resource group ID indicated by the MAC CE, in operation <NUM>. A serving cell ID and a BWP ID indicated by the MAC CE in operation <NUM> may be one serving cell and one BWP configured in a carrier and a BWP configured in operation <NUM> and may be, for example, a PCell ID and an uplink active BWP ID. In operation <NUM>, the UE may update a beam for a PUCCH resource belonging to the PUCCH resource group indicated, in operation <NUM>. The UE may perform data transmission and reception through the configured beam in operation <NUM>, and may repeat operation <NUM> when receiving a beam-updating MAC CE associated with a PUCCH resource again.

When the MAC CE received by the UE indicates beam activation for an individual PUCCH resource in operation <NUM> (by allocating an existing LCID in an existing MAC CE, an existing MAC CE field not including indication information indicating beam updating for a plurality of serving cells and BWPs), the UE may apply relevant beam information about a PUCCH resource ID indicated by the received MAC CE, in operation <NUM>, and may perform a corresponding operation, for example, may update an associated beam, in operation <NUM>. In operation <NUM>, the UE may perform data transmission and reception through the configured beam. When a beam-updating MAC CE associated with a PUCCH resource is received again, operation <NUM> may be repeated.

<FIG> illustrates an overall UE operation of supporting simultaneous beam updating for a PUCCH resource group through an MAC CE according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, in operation <NUM>, a UE in an RRC-connected state may generate, store, and transmit UE capability information to a base station in response to a UE capability request message from the base station. Particularly, in this operation, the UE capability information may include information about whether simultaneous beam updating for a plurality of PUCCH resources is supported. To indicate this information, two methods illustrated below may be used.

In operation <NUM>, the base station may transmit configuration information (ServingCellConfig) for configuring a plurality of serving cells to the UE through an RRC message. The RRC message may include configuration information for reception through a PDCCH and a PDSCH (PDCCH-Config and PDSCH-Config). Further, a beam configuration for PUCCH resource transmission may be included in PUCCH-Config. Specifically, the RRC message may include a BWP configuration (BWP-Uplink and BWP-Downlink), a CORESET configuration, a scrambling configuration, a TCI state (TCI-State in PDSCH-Config) configuration, a set of a PUCCH resource and a PUCCH resource, spatial relation information, and the like. For reference, regarding a spatial relation information configuration, while up to eight pieces of spatial relation information are conventionally supported, up to <NUM> pieces of spatial relation information may be determined and configured. For example, the TCI state configuration may be provided per downlink BWP of each serving cell and may be individually included in PDCCH-Config and PDSCH-Config, and a PUCCH resource configuration and a beam configuration for PUCCH resource transmission may also be included in PUCCH-Config. According to the fourth embodiment, in operation <NUM>, a list of PUCCH resources or PUCCH resource sets to which simultaneous beam updating for a plurality of PUCCH resources is applied is not provided through the RRC message. That is, according to the fourth embodiment, a PUCCH resource group is not specified in an RRC configuration, but all PUCCH resources or PUCCH resource sets for which simultaneous beam updating is performed are indicated at once by an MAC CE transmitted, in operation <NUM>.

In operation <NUM>, the UE may receive an MAC CE indicating a beam for PUCCH resource transmission from the base station. In this operation, the UE may receive an MAC CE indicating beam activation for an existing individual PUCCH resource or may receive an MAC CE indicating simultaneous beam updating for a plurality of newly defined PUCCH resources. A specific MAC CE structure will be described later.

In operation <NUM>, the UE analyzes the MAC CE received in operation <NUM> to determine which operation is indicated and then performs a relevant operation. When the received MAC CE indicates simultaneous beam updating for a plurality of PUCCH resources (by allocating a new LCID or including indication information (e.g., a one-bit indicator) indicating simultaneous beam updating in an existing MAC CE field), the UE may apply beam information in the received MAC CE to any PUCCH resource list indicated by the MAC CE, in operation <NUM>. For example, the MAC CE may include a plurality of PUCCH resource IDs or PUCCH resource set IDs. Further, the operation includes a PUCCH resource belonging to a different serving cell or a different BWP, a plurality of sets each of which includes a serving cell ID, a BWP ID, and a PUCCH resource ID may be provided. A serving cell ID and a BWP ID indicated by the MAC CE in operation <NUM> may be one serving cell and one BWP configured in a carrier and a BWP configured in operation <NUM> and may be, for example, a PCell ID and an uplink active BWP ID. In operation <NUM>, the UE updates a beam for the PUCCH resource list indicated, in operation <NUM>. The UE may perform data transmission and reception through the configured beam, in operation <NUM>, and may repeat operation <NUM> when receiving a beam-updating MAC CE associated with a PUCCH resource again.

When the MAC CE received by the UE indicates beam activation for an individual PUCCH resource in operation <NUM> (by allocating an existing LCID in an existing MAC CE, an existing MAC CE field not including indication information indicating beam updating for a plurality of serving cells and BWPs), the UE may apply relevant beam information about a PUCCH resource ID indicated by the received MAC CE, in operation <NUM>, and may perform a corresponding operation, for example, may update an associated beam, in operation <NUM>. The UE may perform data transmission and reception through the configured beam, in operation <NUM>, and may repeat operation <NUM> when receiving a beam-updating MAC CE associated with a PUCCH resource again.

<FIG> illustrates an MAC CE structure according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, a PUCCH resource group is configured via an RRC control message, and simultaneous beam updating for the PUCCH resource group is applied through an MAC CE. Thus, the PUCCH resource group is already configured in the RRC control message, and accordingly the MAC CE may use this information. The MAC CE has specific structures according to the following options.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, simultaneous beam updating for a PUCCH resource group is supported through an MAC CE without an RRC configuration. For example, since PUCCH resource group information is not provided in advance through an RRC configuration, the MAC CE needs to include all relevant information (i.e., about a plurality of PUCCH resources) for simultaneous beam updating for a plurality of PUCCH resources. The MAC CE has specific structures according to the following options.

<FIG> illustrates an overall operation of a base station according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, in operation <NUM>, the base station may establish an RRC connection state with a UE. In operation <NUM>, the base station may request a UE capability from the UE and may receive corresponding UE capability information. The base station may analyze the UE capability received in the above operation and may determine whether the UE has a capability of simultaneous beam updating for a plurality of PUCCH resources. Further, the base station may identify whether the base station has configured a corresponding function. Then, in operation <NUM>, the base station may provide configuration information about simultaneous beam updating for a plurality of PUCCH resources according to the UE capability to the UE through an RRC message. This operation corresponds to the third embodiment and additional operation is provided in this operation in the fourth embodiment. When the UE does not have the corresponding capability or the base station determines that a corresponding configuration is not necessary, the base station may provide configuration information for beam updating for basic PUCCH resources rather than providing the configuration information needed for simultaneous beam updating for a plurality of PUCCH resources.

In operation <NUM>, the base station may indicate beam updating by transmitting a beam-updating MAC CE for simultaneous beam updating for a plurality of PUCCH resources based on a PUCCH resource configuration and related beam configuration information (information necessary for simultaneous beam updating for a plurality of PUCCH resources) configured via RRC. In this operation, an existing beam indication MAC CE for a PUCCH resource may be used. In operation <NUM>, the base station may receive a PUCCH resource and may perform data communication according to a configured and indicated beam.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating an internal structure of a UE according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, the UE includes a radio frequency (RF) processor <NUM>, a baseband processor <NUM>, a storage unit <NUM>, and a controller <NUM>.

The RF processor <NUM> performs a function for transmitting or receiving a signal through a wireless channel, such as band conversion and amplification of a signal. That is, the RF processor <NUM> up converts a baseband signal, provided from the baseband processor <NUM>, into an RF band signal to transmit the RF band signal through an antenna, and down converts an RF band signal, received through the antenna, into a baseband signal. For example, the RF processor <NUM> may include a transmission filter, a reception filter, an amplifier, a mixer, an oscillator, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). Although <FIG> shows only one antenna, the UE may include a plurality of antennas. In addition, the RF processor <NUM> may include a plurality of RF chains. Further, the RF processor <NUM> may perform beamforming. For beamforming, the RF processor <NUM> may adjust the phase and strength of each of signals transmitted and received through a plurality of antennas or antenna elements. The RF processor <NUM> may perform MIMO and may receive a plurality of layers when performing MIMO.

The baseband processor <NUM> performs a function of converting a baseband signal and a bit stream according to the physical-layer specification of a system. For example, in data transmission, the baseband processor <NUM> encodes and modulates a transmission bit stream, thereby generating complex symbols. In data reception, the baseband processor <NUM> demodulates and decodes a baseband signal, provided from the RF processor <NUM>, thereby reconstructing a reception bit stream. For example, according to OFDM, in data transmission, the baseband processor <NUM> generates complex symbols by encoding and modulating a transmission bit stream, maps the complex symbols to subcarriers, and constructs OFDM symbols through an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) and cyclic prefix (CP) insertion. In data reception, the baseband processor <NUM> divides a baseband signal, provided from the RF processor <NUM>, into OFDM symbols, reconstructs signals mapped to subcarriers through a fast Fourier transform (FFT), and reconstructs a reception bit stream through demodulation and decoding.

As described above, the baseband processor <NUM> and the RF processor <NUM> transmit and receive signals. Accordingly, the baseband processor <NUM> and the RF processor <NUM> may be referred to as a transmitter, a receiver, a transceiver, or a communication unit. At least one of the baseband processor <NUM> and the RF processor <NUM> may include a plurality of communication modules to support a plurality of different radio access technologies. Further, at least one of the baseband processor <NUM> and the RF processor <NUM> may include different communication modules for processing signals in different frequency bands. For example, the different radio access technologies may include a wireless LAN (for example, IEEE <NUM>), a cellular network (for example, an LTE network), and the like. In addition, the different frequency bands may include a super high frequency (SHF) band (e.g., <NUM>. NRHz or NRhz) and a millimeter wave band (e.g., <NUM>).

The storage unit <NUM> stores data, such as a default program, an application, and configuration information for operating the UE. In particular, the storage unit <NUM> may store information on a second access node performing wireless communication using a second radio access technology. The storage unit <NUM> provides stored data upon request from the controller <NUM>.

The controller <NUM> controls overall operations of the UE. For example, the controller <NUM> transmits and receives signals through the baseband processor <NUM> and the RF processor <NUM>. Further, the controller <NUM> records and reads data in the storage unit <NUM>. To this end, the controller <NUM> may include at least one processor. For example, the controller <NUM> may include a communication processor (CP) (e.g., multi-connection processor <NUM>) to perform control for communication and an application processor (AP) to control an upper layer, such as an application. The controller <NUM>, the baseband processor <NUM>, the RF processor <NUM>, and the storage unit <NUM> may be electrically connected.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an NR base station according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, the base station includes an RF processor <NUM>, a baseband processor <NUM>, a backhaul communication unit <NUM>, a storage unit <NUM>, and a controller <NUM>.

The RF processor <NUM> performs a function for transmitting or receiving a signal through a wireless channel, such as band conversion and amplification of a signal. That is, the RF processor <NUM> up converts a baseband signal, provided from the baseband processor <NUM>, into an RF band signal to transmit the RF band signal through an antenna, and down converts an RF band signal, received through the antenna, into a baseband signal. For example, the RF processor <NUM> may include a transmission filter, a reception filter, an amplifier, a mixer, an oscillator, a DAC, and an ADC. Although <FIG> shows only one antenna, the base station may include a plurality of antennas. In addition, the RF processor <NUM> may include a plurality of RF chains. Further, the RF processor <NUM> may perform beamforming. For beamforming, the RF processor <NUM> may adjust the phase and strength of each of signals transmitted and received through a plurality of antennas or antenna elements. The RF processor <NUM> may transmit one or more layers, thereby performing downlink MIMO.

The baseband processor <NUM> performs a function of converting a baseband signal and a bit stream according to the physical-layer specification of a first radio access technology. For example, in data transmission, the baseband processor <NUM> encodes and modulates a transmission bit stream, thereby generating complex symbols. In data reception, the baseband processor <NUM> demodulates and decodes a baseband signal, provided from the RF processor <NUM>, thereby reconstructing a reception bit stream. For example, according to OFDM, in data transmission, the baseband processor <NUM> generates complex symbols by encoding and modulating a transmission bit stream, maps the complex symbols to subcarriers, and constructs OFDM symbols through an IFFT and CP insertion. In data reception, the baseband processor <NUM> divides a baseband signal, provided from the RF processor <NUM>, into OFDM symbols, reconstructs signals mapped to subcarriers through an FFT, and reconstructs a reception bit stream through demodulation and decoding. As described above, the baseband processor <NUM> and the RF processor <NUM> transmit and receive signals. Accordingly, the baseband processor <NUM> and the RF processor <NUM> may be referred to as a transmitter, a receiver, a transceiver, a communication unit, or a wireless communication unit.

The backhaul communication unit <NUM> provides an interface for performing communication with other nodes in a network. That is, the backhaul communication unit <NUM> may convert a bit stream, transmitted from the base station to another node, for example, a secondary base station or a core network, into a physical signal, and may convert a physical signal, received from the other node, into a bit stream.

The storage unit <NUM> stores data, such as a default program, an application, and configuration information for operating the base station. In particular, the storage unit <NUM> may store information on a bearer allocated to a connected UE, a measurement result reported from a connected UE, and the like. In addition, the storage unit <NUM> may store information as a criterion for determining whether to provide or stop a multi-connection to a UE. The storage unit <NUM> provides stored data upon request from the controller <NUM>.

The controller <NUM> controls overall operations of the base station. For example, the controller <NUM> transmits and receives signals through the baseband processor <NUM> and the RF processor <NUM> or through the backhaul communication unit <NUM>. Further, the controller <NUM> records and reads data in the storage unit <NUM>. To this end, the controller <NUM> may include at least one processor (e.g., a multi-connection processor <NUM>). The controller <NUM>, the RF processor <NUM>, the baseband processor <NUM>, the backhaul communication unit <NUM>, and the storage unit <NUM> may be electrically connected.

Claim 1:
A method performed by a terminal in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:
receiving, from a base station, a radio resource control, RRC, message including information on a mapping between sounding reference signal resource indicator, SRI, identifiers, IDs, and pathloss reference signal, RS, IDs;
receiving, from the base station, a medium access control, MAC, control element, CE, for updating a mapping between a plurality of SRI IDs of the SRI IDs and one pathloss RS ID of the pathloss RS IDs;
receiving, from the base station, downlink control information, DCI, including an SRI indicating a pathloss RS used for physical uplink shared channel, PUSCH, transmission, the pathloss RS being mapped with the SRI; and
calculating a PUSCH pathloss by measuring a pathloss RS resource corresponding to the pathloss RS,
wherein the MAC CE indicates a plurality of SRI IDs to which the pathloss RS is applied and includes an index indicating the pathloss RS associated with the SRI, an SRI ID which is an index of the SRI associated with the pathloss RS, and an indicator indicating whether there is an additional SRI ID associated with the pathloss RS.