PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-12101645-B2
Application Number: US-202017441683-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Apparatus and method for group based reporting beam management

Abstract:
Some embodiments include an apparatus, method, and computer program product for using group based reporting for beam management in a 5G wireless communications system. A user equipment (UE) can determine based on a signal-to-interference-plus noise ratio (SINR) or reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement, a ranking of two or more beam combinations, and transmit the ranking to a 5G node B (gNB). The UE can receive from the gNB, a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) codepoint that identifies a combination of two or more beams, where the TCI codepoint is based at least on the ranking. The UE can receive simultaneous transmissions via the combination, and transmit a report to the gNB that identifies by the TCI codepoint, SINRs that corresponds to the combination. In some embodiments the UE can simultaneously transmit on a second combination identified by a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource indicator (SRI) codepoint.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A user equipment (UE), comprising:
 a transceiver configured to transmit and receive wireless communications; 
 a processor, coupled to the transceiver, configured to:
 transmit, to a base station (BS) via the transceiver, a ranking of a plurality of beams from which the UE can simultaneously receive downlink (DL) transmissions; 
 based at least on the ranking, receive via the transceiver, a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) codepoint that corresponds to two or more beams from which the UE can simultaneously receive DL transmissions, wherein a beam of the two or more beams is identified by a channel-state information (CSI) resource indicator (CRI), a synchronization signal block resource indicator (SSBRI), or a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource indicator (SRI); 
 simultaneously receive, via the transceiver, the two or more beams identified by the TCI codepoint; and 
 transmit, via the transceiver, a group beam report corresponding to the simultaneous reception, the group beam report comprising the TCI codepoint and a signal-to-interference-plus noise ratio (SINR) measurement per beam of the two or more beams, 
 wherein a first SINR measurement of the two or more beams is encoded as a reference measurement in the group beam report, and a second SINR measurement of the two or more beams comprises a differential measurement from the reference measurement. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The UE of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
 determine a SINR measurement or a reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement per beam of the plurality of beams; and 
 rank, based at least on the determined SINR measurements or the determined RSRP measurements, a first combination of two or more beams of the plurality of beams with a second combination of two or more beams of the plurality of beams. 
 
     
     
       3. The UE of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
 quantize the first SINR measurement of the two or more beams as the reference measurement using X bits, where X is an integer; and 
 quantize the second SINR measurement of the two or more beams using Y bits, where Y is an integer less than X. 
 
     
     
       4. The UE of  claim 3 , wherein the reference measurement is larger than other measurements in the group beam report, and wherein the reference measurement is identified by a location within the group beam report. 
     
     
       5. The UE of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
 determine that the LIE supports simultaneous uplink (UL) transmissions; and 
 transmit the group beam report including an indication of whether the UE supports simultaneous UL transmissions on the two or more beams corresponding to the TCI codepoint. 
 
     
     
       6. The UE of  claim 5 , wherein the processor is further configured to: transmit, to the BS via the transceiver, a second indication of two or more SRSs over which the UE can simultaneously transmit UL, transmissions, wherein the second indication comprises: Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) signaling, Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) signaling, Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, or Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) signaling. 
     
     
       7. The UE of  claim 6 , wherein the processor is further configured to: based at least on the second indication, receive, via the transceiver, an SRI codepoint that identifies a spatial relationship with or more SRIs with which the UE can simultaneously transmit UL transmissions. 
     
     
       8. The UE of  claim 6 , wherein the processor is further configured to: transmit, to the BS via the transceiver, simultaneous UL transmissions via the two or more beams corresponding to the TCI codepoint, wherein a first beam of the two or more beams corresponds to a first group of SRS resources and a second beam of the two or more beams corresponds to a second group of SRS resources. 
     
     
       9. The UE of  claim 5 , wherein the processor is further configured to: transmit, to the BS via the transceiver, a second indication that the UE is not transmitting simultaneous UL transmissions on the two or more beams corresponding to the TCI codepoint. 
     
     
       10. The UE of  claim 5 , wherein the UE is configured to simultaneously transmit UL transmissions on the two or more beams corresponding to the TCI codepoint, the processor is further configured to transmit, to the BS via the transceiver, a second group beam report, that comprises a power headroom (PHR) value. 
     
     
       11. The UE of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an antenna, coupled to the transceiver, comprising two or more panels, wherein processor is configured to:
 transmit, to the BS via the transceiver, an indication that the UE is not receiving simultaneous DL transmissions on the two or more beams corresponding to the TCI codepoint; and 
 place a panel of the two or more panels corresponding to a beam of the two or more beams in a dormant state. 
 
 
     
     
       12. The UE of  claim 11 , wherein the indication comprises: Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) signaling, Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) signaling, Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, or Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) signaling. 
     
     
       13. The UE of  claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
 transmit, via the transceiver, report capabilities comprising beam switch timing delays; 
 subsequent to placing the panel of the two or more panels in the dormant state, re-activate the panel according to a largest beam switch timing delay of the beam switch timing delays; and 
 receive, via the transceiver and the panel, a time domain multiplexed (TDM) signal corresponding to the panel. 
 
     
     
       14. A base station (BS) comprising:
 a transceiver configured to transmit and receive wireless communications; 
 a processor, coupled to the transceiver, configured to:
 receive, from a user equipment (UE) via the transceiver, a ranking of a plurality, of beams from which the UE can simultaneously receive downlink (DL) transmissions; 
 based at least on the ranking, transmit via the transceiver, a first transmission configuration indicator (TCI) codepoint that corresponds to a first set of two or more beams from which the UE can simultaneously receive DL transmissions, wherein a beam of the first set of two or more beams is identified by a channel-state information (CSI) resource indicator (CRI), a synchronization signal block resource indicator (SSBRI), or a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource indicator (SRI); 
 transmit, via the transceiver, the first set of two or more beams identified by the first TCI codepoint; and 
 receive, via the transceiver, a group beam report corresponding to a simultaneous reception by the UE of the first set of two or more beams, the group beam report comprising the first TCI codepoint and a signal-to-interference-plus noise ratio (SINR) measurement per beam of the first set of two or more beams, 
 wherein a first SINR measurement of the first set of two or more beams is encoded as a reference measurement in the group beam report, and a second SINR measurement of the first set of two or more beams comprises a differential measurement from the reference measurement. 
 
 
     
     
       15. The BS of  claim 14 , wherein the ranking is based at least on the SINR measurement or a reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement of the plurality of beams. 
     
     
       16. The BS of  claim 14 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
 process the group beam report that comprises:
 the reference measurement that includes a quantized first SINR measurement of the two or more beams using X bits, where X is an integer, and a second quantized SINR measurement of the first set of two or more beams comprising Y bits, where Y is an integer less than X, 
 wherein the reference measurement is larger than other measurements in the group beam report, or 
 wherein the reference measurement is identified by a location within the group beam report. 
 
 
     
     
       17. The BS of  claim 14 , wherein the group beam report indicates that the UE can simultaneously transmit uplink (UL) transmissions via a second set of two or more beams corresponding to a second TCI codepoint, and wherein the second TCI codepoint is different than the first TCI codepoint. 
     
     
       18. The BS of  claim 17 , wherein the processor is further configured to: receive, from the UE via the transceiver, an indication that the UE is not receiving simultaneous DL transmissions on the first set of two or more beams corresponding to the first TCI codepoint, wherein the indication comprises: Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) signaling, Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) signaling, Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, or Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) signaling. 
     
     
       19. The BS of  claim 14 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
 receive, via the transceiver, report capabilities comprising beam switch timing delays; and 
 subsequent to receiving the indication, transmit, via a transceiver, a time domain multiplexed (TDM) signal corresponding to a beam of the first set of two or more beams according to a largest beam switch timing delay of the beam switch timing delays. 
 
     
     
       20. A method for a user equipment (UE) comprising:
 transmitting, to a base station (BS) via a transceiver, a ranking of a plurality of beams from which the UE can simultaneously receive downlink (DL) transmissions; 
 based at least on the ranking, receiving, via the transceiver, a first transmission configuration indicator (TCI) codepoint that corresponds to a first set of two or more beams from which the UE can simultaneously receive DL transmissions, and a second TCI codepoint that corresponds to a second set of two or more beams from which the UE can simultaneously transmit uplink (UL) transmissions; 
 simultaneously receiving DL transmissions from the first set of two or more beams identified by the first TCI codepoint; 
 simultaneously transmitting UL transmissions via the second set of two or more beams identified by the second TCI codepoint, wherein the second TCI codepoint is different than the first TCI codepoint; and 
 transmitting a group beam report corresponding to the simultaneous reception, the group beam report comprising the first TCI codepoint and a signal-to-interference-plus noise ratio (SINR) measurement per beam of the first set of two or more beams, 
 wherein a first SINR measurement of the first set of two or more beams is encoded as a reference measurement in the group beam report, and a second SINR measurement of the first set of two or more beams comprises a differential measurement from the reference measurement.

Description:
This application is a U.S. National Phase of International Application No. PCT/CN2020/083757, filed Apr. 8, 2020, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Field 
     The described embodiments relate generally to 5G wireless communications. 
     Related Art 
     5G wireless communications systems include a user equipment (UE) supporting simultaneous reception over multiple beams as well as simultaneous uplink (UL) transmission over multiple beams to a 5G node B (gNB). 
     SUMMARY 
     Some embodiments include an apparatus, method, and computer program product for group based reporting beam management. Some embodiments include a user equipment (UE), that includes a transceiver and a processor, coupled to the transceiver. The processor can determine a signal-to-interference-plus noise ratio (SINR) measurement or a reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement per beam of a plurality of beams from which the UE can simultaneously receive downlink (DL) transmissions, and rank based at least on the determined SINR measurements or the RSRP measurements, a first combination of two or more beams with a second combination of two or more beams of the plurality of beams. The processor can transmit, to a 5G node B (gNB) via the transceiver, the determined ranking of the plurality of beams from which the UE can simultaneously receive DL transmissions. Based at least on the ranking, the processor can receive via the transceiver, a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) codepoint that corresponds to two or more beams from which the UE can simultaneously receive DL transmissions, where a beam of the two or more beams is identified by a channel-state information (CSI) resource indicator (CRI), a synchronization signal block resource indicator (SSBRI), or a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource indicator (SRI). The processor can simultaneously receive, via the transceiver, the two or more beams identified by the TCI codepoint, and transmit, via the transceiver, a group beam report corresponding to the simultaneous reception, including the TCI codepoint and a SINR measurement per beam of the two or more beams. 
     The processor supports differential encoding that reduces the number of bits used to encode the group beam report measurements. For example, the processor can quantize a first SINR measurement of the SINR measurements of the two or more beams as a reference measurement using X bits, where X is an integer, and quantize remaining SINR measurements of the two or more beams using Y bits, where Y is an integer less than X. In some embodiments the reference measurement is larger than other measurements in the group beam report, and the reference measurement is identified by a location within the group beam report. 
     The processor can determine that the UE supports simultaneous uplink (UL) transmissions, and transmit the group beam report that include an indication of whether the UE supports simultaneous UL transmissions on the two or more beams corresponding to the TCI codepoint. The processor can transmit, to the gNB via the transceiver, a second indication of two or more sounding reference signals (SRSs) over which the UE can simultaneously transmit UL transmissions, where the second indication comprises: Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) signaling, Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) signaling, Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, or Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) signaling. Based at least on the second indication, the processor can receive via the transceiver, an SRS resource indicator (SRI) codepoint that identifies a spatial relationship with two or more SRIs over which the UE can simultaneously transmit UL transmissions. 
     The processor can transmit to the gNB via the transceiver, simultaneous UL transmissions via the two or more beams corresponding to the TCI codepoint, where a first beam of the two or more beams corresponds to a first group of SRS resources and a second beam of the two or more beams corresponds to a second group of SRS resources. The processor can transmit, to the gNB via the transceiver, a second indication that the UE is not transmitting simultaneous UL transmissions on the two or more beams corresponding to the TCI codepoint. 
     In some embodiments, a first group beam report is used for simultaneous DL reception and a separate second group beam report is used for simultaneous UL transmission. When a separate second group beam report is implemented, the processor can simultaneously transmit UL transmissions on the two or more beams corresponding to the TCI codepoint, and the processor can transmit, to the gNB via the transceiver, a second group beam report that comprises: a power headroom (PHR) value. 
     The UE also includes an antenna, coupled to the transceiver, that includes two or more panels. The processor can transmit, to the gNB via the transceiver, an indication that the UE is not receiving simultaneous DL transmissions on the two or more beams corresponding to the TCI codepoint, and place a panel of the two or more panels corresponding to a beam of the two or more beams in a dormant state. The indication can include PUCCH signaling, PRACH signaling, RRC signaling, or MAC-CE signaling. 
     The processor can transmit, via the transceiver, report capabilities comprising beam switch timing delays (e.g., at power up), and subsequent to placing the panel of the two or more panels in the dormant state, re-activate the panel according to a largest beam switch timing delay of the beam switch timing delays. The processor can receive via the transceiver and the panel, a time domain multiplexed (TDM) signal corresponding to the panel. 
     Some embodiments include a method for a UE that includes transmitting, to a gNB a ranking of a plurality of beams from which the UE can simultaneously receive DL transmissions. Based at least on the ranking, receiving a first TCI codepoint that corresponds to a first set of two or more beams from which the UE can simultaneously receive DL transmissions, and a second TCI codepoint that corresponds to a second set of two or more beams from which the UE can simultaneously transmit UL transmissions. Some embodiments include simultaneously receiving DL transmissions from the first set of two or more beams identified by the TCI codepoint, simultaneously transmitting UL transmissions via the second set of two or more beams identified by the second TCI codepoint, where the TCI codepoint is different than the second TCI codepoint, and transmitting a group beam report corresponding to the simultaneous reception, comprising the TCI codepoint and a SINR measurement per beam of the first set of two or more beams. 
     Some embodiments are directed to a gNB that includes a transceiver and a processor, coupled to the transceiver. The processor can receive, from a UE via the transceiver, a ranking of a plurality of beams from which the UE can simultaneously receive DL transmissions. Based at least on the ranking, the processor can transmit via the transceiver, a first TCI codepoint that corresponds to a first set of two or more beams from which the UE can simultaneously receive DL transmissions, where a beam of the first set two or more beams is identified by a CRI, a SSBRI, or a SRI. The processor can transmit, via the transceiver, the first set of two or more beams identified by the first TCI codepoint, and receive, via the transceiver, a group beam report corresponding to a simultaneous reception by the UE of the first set of two or more beams comprising the first TCI codepoint and a SINR measurement per beam of the first set of two or more beams. The ranking is based at least on a SINR measurement or a RSRP measurement of the plurality of beams. 
     The processor can process the group beam report that includes a reference measurement that includes a quantized first SINR measurement of the SINR measurements of the first set of two or more beams using X bits, where X is an integer, and remaining SINR measurements of the first set of two or more beams quantized using Y bits, where Y is an integer less than X. The reference measurement can be larger than other measurements in the group beam report, and/or the reference measurement can be identified by a location within the group beam report. In some embodiments the group beam report indicates that the UE can simultaneously transmit UL transmissions via a second set of two or more beams corresponding to a second TCI codepoint, and the second TCI codepoint can be different than the first TCI codepoint. The processor can receive from the UE via the transceiver, an indication that the UE is not receiving simultaneous DL transmissions on the first set of two or more beams corresponding to the TCI codepoint, where the indication comprises: PUCCH signaling, PRACH signaling, RRC signaling, or MAC- CE signaling. 
     The processor can receive, via the transceiver, report capabilities including beam switch timing delays, and subsequent to receiving the indication, transmit via the transceiver, a TDM signal corresponding a beam of the first set of two or more beams according to a largest beam switch timing delay of the beam switch timing delays. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form part of the specification, illustrate the presented disclosure and, together with the description, further serve to explain the principles of the disclosure and enable a person of skill in the relevant art(s) to make and use the disclosure. 
         FIG.  1    illustrates an example system for group based reporting beam management, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  2    illustrates a block diagram of an example wireless system for group based reporting beam management, according to some embodiments of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  3    illustrates a method for an example user equipment (UE) for group based reporting beam management, according to some embodiments of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  4    illustrates a method for an example 5G Node B (gNB) for group based reporting beam management, according to some embodiments of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  5    illustrates an example Media Access Control (MAC)-Control Element (CE) indication of whether a UE can simultaneously receive a downlink (DL) transmission via a certain combination of beams, according to some embodiments of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  6    illustrates an example MAC-CE indication of whether a UE can simultaneously transmit an uplink (UL) transmission via a certain combination of beams, according to some embodiments of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  7    illustrates an example MAC-CE indication of Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) Resource Indicator (SRI) codepoints, according to some embodiments of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  8    illustrates an example of transmission configuration indicator (TCI) codepoints and SRS group configurations, according to some embodiments of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  9    illustrates an example of beam switch timing delays, according to some embodiments of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  10    is an example computer system for implementing some embodiments or portion(s) thereof. 
     
    
    
     The presented disclosure is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, generally, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements. Additionally, generally, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the drawing in which the reference number first appears. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A 5G wireless communications system can include a user equipment (UE) that simultaneously receives downlink (DL) transmissions over multiple beams from a 5G node B (gNB), and simultaneously transmits uplink (UL) transmissions over multiple beams to the gNB. Group based reporting is an indirect indication of whether a UE supports simultaneous reception over multiple beams. Some embodiments herein include an apparatus, method, and computer program product for group based reporting for beam management in a 5G wireless communications system. For example, some embodiments include layer 1 signal-to-interference-plus noise ratio (SINR) measurements in the group based reports, and define ranking criteria for a UE to identify combinations of beams to be used for simultaneous reception and/or simultaneous transmission. Some embodiments include separate beam reporting for simultaneous reception from a first set of multiple beams and simultaneous transmission over a second set multiple beams where the first and second set may be different. Some embodiments include differential encoding with a reference measurement that can include fewer quantization bits for the remaining measurements in a group based report. Some embodiments enable a UE to temporarily turn off simultaneous reception and/or simultaneous transmission and can include UL SRS support for simultaneous UL transmissions. 
       FIG.  1    illustrates an example system  100  for group based reporting beam management, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. System  100  includes UE  110 , gNB  120 , UL transmissions  130 , and DL transmissions  140 . UE  110  can be a computing electronic device such as a smart phone, cellular phone, and for simplicity purposes—may include other computing devices including but not limited to laptops, desktops, tablets, personal assistants, routers, monitors, televisions, printers, and appliances. A UE can report at least the following via UL transmissions  130  to a gNB: combinations of beams over which the UE can receive simultaneous DL transmissions; combinations of beams over which the UE can transmit simultaneous UL transmissions to the gNB; a temporary reduction in capabilities for simultaneous reception of DL transmissions according to a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) codepoint; and/or a temporary reduction in capabilities for simultaneous transmission of UL transmissions according to a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) Reference Indicator (SRI) codepoint. 
     As illustrated, gNB  120  can be a 5G base station. GNB  120  can configure and transmit the following via DL transmission  140  to UE  110 : downlink (DL) beam TCI codepoints for a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) shared with UE  110 ; UL beam SRI codepoints for a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH); and UL SRS beam and resources configuration. 
       FIG.  2    illustrates a block diagram of an example wireless system  200  for group based reporting beam management, according to some embodiments of the disclosure. As a convenience and not a limitation, system  200 , may be described with elements of  FIG.  1   . System  200  can be UE  110  or gNB  120  of  FIG.  1   . System  200  may include processor  210 , transceiver  220 , communication infrastructure  230 , memory  235 , and antenna  225  that together perform operations enabling group based reporting beam management. Transceiver  220  transmits and receives 5G wireless communications signals via antenna  225 . Communication infrastructure  230  may be a bus. Memory  235  may include random access memory (RAM) and/or cache, and may include control logic (e.g., computer software), computer instructions, and/or data. Processer  210 , upon execution of the computer instructions, can be configured to perform the functionality described herein for group based reporting beam management. Alternatively, processor  210  can include its own internal memory (not shown), and/or be “hard-wired” (as in a state-machine) configured to perform the functionality described herein for group based reporting beam management. Antenna  225  coupled to transceiver  220 , may include one or more antennas and/or panels (not shown) that may be the same or different types to enable wireless communication over a wireless network. 
       FIG.  3    illustrates a method  300  for an example user equipment (UE) for group based reporting beam management, according to some embodiments of the disclosure. As a convenience and not a limitation,  FIG.  3   , may be described with elements of  FIGS.  1  and/or  2   . For example, method  300  may be performed by UE  110  of  FIG.  1    or system  200  of  FIG.  2   . 
     At  305 , system  200  can rank combinations of beams according to SINR) measurements or reference signal received power (RSRP) measurements. For example, UE  110  can measure signals of received beams, and rank combinations of the beams (e.g., two or more beams). While examples describe a pair of beams, a person of ordinary skill in the art (POSA) would understand that the combinations can include two or more beams. The ranking of each pair can be based on a weaker or stronger SINR measurement within a pair, or the weaker or stronger RSRP measurement within a pair. If a weaker or stronger SINR is used for example, and some pairs have a same value of the weaker SINR, then the stronger or weaker RSRP measurements corresponding to each pair can be used to break the tie. 
     In some embodiments the sum of SINR measurements or sum of RSRP measurements can be used as the basis for ranking the pairs. A pair of beams whose sum of SINR measurements have a highest SINR sum compared to other pairs of beams can be considered the first pair (e.g., most desirable combination), or a pair of beams whose sum of RSRP measurements have a highest RSRP measurement sum compared to other pairs of beams can be considered the first pair (e.g., most desirable combination.) In the event two pairs of beams have a same SINR sum, the pair with a higher RSRP measurement can break the tie, or the pair with a higher RSRP sum can break the tie. In some embodiments, the ranking of the pairs can be based on a sum of effective spectral efficiency: log(1+SINR 1 )+log2(1+SINR 2 ). In the event of a tie, the pair with a stronger SINR or stronger RSRP can be used to break the tie. A POSA would understand that other combinations are possible. 
     At  310 , system  200  can transmit to a 5G node B (gNB) a ranking of two or more beams from which the user equipment (UE) can simultaneously receive DL transmissions and/or simultaneously transmit UL transmissions. 
     At  315 , system  200  can receive TCI codepoints that correspond to combinations of two or more beams over which the UE can receive simultaneous DL transmissions and/or transmit simultaneous UL transmissions. For example, the TCI codepoints can be used in a TCI codepoint table to indicate two or more beams used for spatial relationship configuration, for PDSCH for example. Table 1 below illustrates an example of a TCI codepoint table with 4 code points. Each codepoint (row) identifies two or more beams. In this example, there are two beams per codepoint. A beam can be identified by a channel-state information (CSI) Resource Indicator (CRI) or a synchronization signal block resource indicator (SSBRI). In an example, a codepoint can be identified by 3 bits. 
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                 TABLE 1 
               
             
            
               
                   
               
               
                 TCI Codepoint Table 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
            
               
                   
                 TCI Codepoint 
                 Beam 1 Identification 
                 Beam 2 Identification 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 Codepoint #1 
                 CRI or SSBRI #1_1 
                 CRI or SSBRI #1_2 
               
               
                   
                 Codepoint #2 
                 CRI or SSBRI #2_1 
                 CRI or SSBRI #2_2 
               
               
                   
                 Codepoint #3 
                 CRI or SSBRI #3_1 
                 CRI or SSBRI #3_2 
               
               
                   
                 Codepoint #4 
                 CRI or SSBRI #4_1 
                 CRI or SSBRI #4_2 
               
               
                   
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     At  320 , system  200  can receive simultaneous DL transmissions of two or more beams that correspond to a TCI codepoint from gNB  120 . For example, UE  110  can receive simultaneous DL transmissions from the two beams associated with codepoint # 1 . 
     At  325 , system  200  can transmit a group beam report that includes a TCI codepoint and a SINR measurement per beam associated with the TCI codepoint. An example of a group beam report for the downlink simultaneous received beams is shown in Table 2. In this example, UE  110  simultaneously received DL transmissions from beams identified by codepoint # 1 , codepoint # 2 , codepoint # 3  and codepoint # 4 . For codepoint # 1 , for example, two SINR measurements are identified: SINR # 1 _ 1  and 
     Differential SINR # 1 _ 2 . (The differential encoding is described at  330  below.) Each codepoint has a SINR measurement that corresponds to each beam. In this example there are two beams, but more than two beams are possible. 
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                 TABLE 2 
               
             
            
               
                   
               
               
                 TCI Codepoint Table with SINR Measurements 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
            
               
                 TCI Codepoint 
                 Beam 1 Identification 
                 Beam 2 Identification 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Codepoint #1 
                 CRI or SSBRI #1_1 
                 CRI or SSBRI #1_2 
               
               
                 Codepoint #2 
                 CRI or SSBRI #2_1 
                 CRI or SSBRI #2_2 
               
               
                 Codepoint #3 
                 CRI or SSBRI #3_1 
                 CRI or SSBRI #3_2 
               
               
                 Codepoint #4 
                 CRI or SSBRI #4_1 
                 CRI or SSBRI #4_2 
               
               
                   
                 SINR #1_1 
                 Differential SINR #1_2 
               
               
                   
                 (Differential) SINR #2_1 
                 Differential SINR #2_2 
               
               
                   
                 (Differential) SINR #3_1 
                 Differential SINR #3_2 
               
               
                   
                 (Differential) SINR #4_1 
                 Differential SINR #4_2 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     In some embodiments, RSRP measurements may be transmitted in the group beam report for the downlink simultaneous received beams as shown in Table 3. 
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                 TABLE 3 
               
             
            
               
                   
               
               
                 TCI Codepoint Table with RSRP Measurements 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
            
               
                 TCI Codepoint 
                 Beam 1 Identification 
                 Beam 2 Identification 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Codepoint #1 
                 CRI or SSBRI #1_1 
                 CRI or SSBRI #1_2 
               
               
                 Codepoint #2 
                 CRI or SSBRI #2_1 
                 CRI or SSBRI #2_2 
               
               
                 Codepoint #3 
                 CRI or SSBRI #3_1 
                 CRI or SSBRI #3_2 
               
               
                 Codepoint #4 
                 CRI or SSBRI #4_1 
                 CRI or SSBRI #4_2 
               
               
                   
                 RSRP #1_1 
                 Differential RSRP #1_2 
               
               
                   
                 (Differential) RSRP #2_1 
                 Differential RSRP #2_2 
               
               
                   
                 (Differential) RSRP #3_1 
                 Differential RSRP #3_2 
               
               
                   
                 (Differential) RSRP #4_1 
                 Differential RSRP #4_2 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     In some embodiments, the measurements may include SINR and RSRP measurements or a combination thereof. 
     At  330 , system  200  can use differential encoding to include measurements in a group beam report with a reference measurement. Differential encoding can result in less bits being used to transmit the group based report. As shown in Table 2, for a group based report with layer 1(L1)-SINR, differential encoding may be used. A reference measurement L1-SINR (e.g., SINR # 1 _ 1 ) is quantized with 7 bits with a 0.5 dB step size between [−23 to 40]dB range. The remaining 7 L1-SINR measurements are differential from the reference measurement and are quantized with less than 7 bits (e.g., 4 bits and 1 dB step size.) A reserved bit can be used if any of the remaining 7 L2-SINR measurements differ from the reference measurement by more than 14 dB. 
     In some embodiments, the reference measurement can be interpreted or considered to be the strongest measurement (e.g., SINR # 1 _ 1  of Table 2; RSRP # 1 _ 1  of Table 3) and/or the reference measurement can be determined by its location (e.g., placement) within the table. The measurements can decrease in the table from left to right and top to bottom in Table 2 and Table 3. For each codepoint row, the first SINR or RSRP value can be larger than the subsequent beam to the right. In some embodiments the reference measurement is a largest SINR or RSRP in the group beam report. In some embodiments the reference measurement is the larger SINR or RSRP measurement in each codepoint row. The reference measurement may vary based on the ranking method implemented by UE  110  (e.g., at  305 .) 
     At  335 , system  200  determines whether to implement the same group beam report for reporting simultaneous reception of DL transmissions over multiple beams and for indicating simultaneous transmission of UL transmissions over multiple beams where the multiple beams can be the same or different. When the same group beam report is used, method  300  proceeds to  345 . Otherwise, method  300  proceeds to  340 . 
     At  340 , system  200  can transmit a separate group beam report that includes a power headroom (PHR) value. An example of a second group beam reporting UL report is shown in Table 4. A value in the power headroom column indicates that UE  110  can also simultaneously transmit UL transmissions, for example on the beams corresponding to codepoint # 1 , codepoint # 2 , and codepoint # 4 . In this example, UE  110  does not simultaneously transmit UL transmissions on the beams corresponding to codepoint # 3 . 
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                 TABLE 4 
               
             
            
               
                   
               
               
                 Separate Group Beam Report Uplink 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 TCI  
                 Beam 1  
                 Beam 2  
                 Power 
               
               
                 Codepoint 
                 Identification 
                 Identification 
                 Headroom 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Codepoint #1 
                 CRI or SSBRI #1_1 
                 CRI or SSBRI #1_2 
                 PHR#1 
               
               
                 Codepoint #2 
                 CRI or SSBRI #2_1 
                 CRI or SSBRI #2_2 
                 PHR#2 
               
               
                 Codepoint #3 
                 CRI or SSBRI #3_1 
                 CRI or SSBRI #3_2 
                 — 
               
               
                 Codepoint #4 
                 CRI or SSBRI #4_1 
                 CRI or SSBRI #4_2 
                 PHR#4 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     As an example, UE  110  can estimate a path loss or propagation loss of a simultaneous received DL beams corresponding to codepoint # 2 , compare with an allowed value set by gNB  120 , and indicate the difference in the PHR column. In some embodiments, a PHR value can be reported per beam as shown below in Table 5 below. 
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                 TABLE 5 
               
             
            
               
                   
               
               
                 Another Separate Group Beam Report Uplink 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
            
               
                 TCI Codepoint 
                 Beam 1 Identification 
                 Beam 2 Identification 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Codepoint #1 
                 CRI or SSBRI #1_1 
                 CRI or SSBRI #1_2 
               
               
                 Codepoint #2 
                 CRI or SSBRI #2_1 
                 CRI or SSBRI #2_2 
               
               
                 Codepoint #3 
                 CRI or SSBRI #3_1 
                 CRI or SSBRI #3_2 
               
               
                 Codepoint #4 
                 CRI or SSBRI #4_1 
                 CRI or SSBRI #4_2 
               
               
                   
                 PHR #1_1 
                 Differential PHR #1_2 
               
               
                   
                 (Differential) PHR #2_1 
                 Differential PHR #2_2 
               
               
                   
                 (Differential) PHR #3_1 
                 Differential PHR #3_2 
               
               
                   
                 (Differential) PHR #4_1 
                 Differential PHR #4_2 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     At  345 , when UE  110  supports simultaneous UL transmissions, system  200  can transmit an indication in the same group beam report used for simultaneous reception of DL transmissions according to the TCI codepoints. As shown in Table 6, the group beam report looks like the Table 2 or Table 3 but with the addition of a column that indicates whether UE  110  can or cannot also simultaneously transmit UL transmissions on the beams associated with the TCI codepoint. 
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                 TABLE 6 
               
             
            
               
                   
               
               
                 Shared Group Beam Report 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 TCI 
                 Beam 1  
                 Beam 2  
                 Support 
               
               
                 Codepoint 
                 Identification 
                 Identification 
                 Simultaneous Tx 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Codepoint #1 
                 CRI or SSBRI #1_1 
                 CRI or SSBRI #1_2 
                 Y/N 
               
               
                 Codepoint #2 
                 CRI or SSBRI #2_1 
                 CRI or SSBRI #2_2 
                 Y/N 
               
               
                 Codepoint #3 
                 CRI or SSBRI #3_1 
                 CRI or SSBRI #3_2 
                 Y/N 
               
               
                 Codepoint #4 
                 CRI or SSBRI #4_1 
                 CRI or SSBRI #4_2 
                 Y/N 
               
               
                   
                 SINR/RSRP #1_1 
                 Differential 
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                 SINR/RSRP #1_2 
                   
               
               
                   
                 (Differential) 
                 Differential 
                   
               
               
                   
                 SINR/RSRP #2_1 
                 SINR/RSRP #2_2 
                   
               
               
                   
                 (Differential) 
                 Differential 
                   
               
               
                   
                 SINR/RSRP #3_1 
                 SINR/RSRP #3_2 
                   
               
               
                   
                 (Differential) 
                 Differential 
                   
               
               
                   
                 SINR/RSRP #4_1 
                 SINR/RSRP #4_2 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     At  350 , system  200  can transmit to gNB  120  a second indication that identifies two or more sounding reference signals (SRSs) that UE  110  can use for simultaneously transmitting UL transmissions. For example, UE  110  can transmit a report indicating the SRS resource indicator (SRI) pairs for simultaneous UL transmissions. The report can be transmitted via Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) signaling, Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) signaling, Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, or Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) signaling. In an example, in response to the report, gNB  120  can create an SRI codepoint that corresponds to two or more SRIs as shown in Table 7 below. 
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                 TABLE 7 
               
             
            
               
                   
               
               
                 SRI Codepoint Table 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
            
               
                   
                 SRI Codepoint 
                 SRI_1 Identification 
                 SRI_2 Identification 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 SRI Codepoint #1 
                 SRI #1_1 
                 SRI #1_2 
               
               
                   
                 SRI Codepoint #2 
                 SRI #2_1 
                 SRI #2_2 
               
               
                   
                 . . . 
                 . . . 
                 . . . 
               
               
                   
                 SRI Codepoint #N 
                 SRI #N_1 
                 SRI #N_2 
               
               
                   
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
       FIG.  7    illustrates an example MAC-CE indication  700  of Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) Resource Indicator (SRI) codepoints, according to some embodiments of the disclosure. As a convenience and not a limitation,  FIG.  7   , may be described with elements of previous figures. For example, MAC-CE indication  700  can be generated by gNB  120  of  FIG.  1    to UE  110 . MAC-CE indication  700  is based on an SRI codepoint corresponding to a pair of SRIs, but more than two SRIs are possible per SRI codepoint. MAC-CE indication  700  includes serving cell ID  715 , bandwidth part (BWP) ID  720 , a number of SRI codepoints M  730 , a number of SRI codepoints with 2 SRIs (#non zero C_i)  740  where C stands for codepoint. As an example, SRI codepoint # 0  (C_ 0 ) includes SRI ( 0 , 1 )  750  and SRI ( 0 , 2 )  760  and so on. SRI codepoint #m (C_M) includes SRI (M- 1 , 1 )  770  and SRI (M- 1 , 2 )  780 . 
     In some embodiments the SRI codepoint can be used to configure spatial relationships with multiple SRS as reference signals. For example, the SRI codepoint can be used in Downlink Control Information (DCI)  0 _ 1  for PUSCH scheduling. 
     At  355 , system  200  can receive an SRS resource indicator (SRI) codepoint that identifies two or more SRIs that the UE can use for simultaneously transmitting UL transmissions. For example, gNB  120  can generate a SRI codepoint table (e.g., Table 7) and transmit the information via MAC-CE indication  700  to UE  110 . 
     At  360 , system  200  can transmit simultaneous UL transmissions via the beams corresponding to a TCI codepoint that includes at least a first and second beam, where a first beam corresponds to a first group of SRS resources and a second beam corresponds to a second group of SRS resources. UE  110  can support simultaneous UL transmission with any beam from each SRS group. An SRS group can be configured at an SRS resource level, an SRS resource set level, and/or an SRS group level where an SRS group explicitly configures a list of SRS resources or resource sets. 
       FIG.  8    illustrates an example  800  of TCI codepoints and SRS group configurations, according to some embodiments of the disclosure. Example  800  includes a TCI codepoint table (e.g., Table 1) that includes a TCI codepoint  810  column, Beam  1   820  identification column, and Beam  2   830  identification column. Example  800  also includes two SRS groups, SRS Group  0  labelled as  850  and SRS Group  1  labelled as  860 . TCI codepoint # 1  corresponds to a first beam identified as CRI or SSBRI # 1 _ 1  and a second beam identified as CRI or SSBRI # 1 _ 2 . A spatial relationship is configured by gNB  120  so that UE  110  can transmit simultaneous UL transmissions on the first and second beams that correspond with TCI codepoint # 1 . SRS Group  0  resources utilize SRS 0  to transmit via the first beam and SRS Group  1  resources including SRS 4 , SRS 5 , SRS 6 , and SRS 7  to transmit via the second beam. 
     At  365 , system  200  can transmit an indication that the UE is not transmitting simultaneous UL transmissions and/or not receiving simultaneous DL transmissions. In other words, UE  110  can indicate to gNB  120  that UE  110  temporarily stops supporting simultaneous reception on the DL and/or simultaneous transmission on the UL. In some embodiments UE  110  can receive and transmit simultaneously with different analog beams via multiple panels. In some embodiments, UE  110  can put one or more panels into a dormant state for power saving (e.g., to reduce battery power consumption) or for thermal mitigation (e.g., to prevent overheating.) When a panel of the multiple panels is placed in a dormant state, UE  110  can operate in a time division multiplexing (TDM) mode instead of simultaneous receive and/or simultaneous transmit mode. If a subsequent TDM signal is received from gNB  120  that requires the panel placed in the dormant state, UE  110  re-activates the panel according to a beam switching delay, and receives the DL TDM signal. 
       FIG.  5    illustrates an example MAC-CE indication  500  that indicates whether a UE can simultaneously receive a DL transmission via a certain combination of beams, according to some embodiments of the disclosure. As an example, UE  110  can transmit MAC-CE indication  500  to gNB  120  to temporarily stop simultaneous receptions on DL transmissions that correspond to particular TCI codepoints. MAC-CE indication  500  includes serving cell ID  515 , BWP part ID  520 , and TCI codepoints  530   a - 530   h  that represent a bit mask for 8 TCI codepoints. When UE  110  places a panel corresponding to TCI codepoint  3  labeled as TCI codepoint  530   d  in a dormant state, UE  110  can transmit MAC-CE indication  500  with TCI codepoint  530   d  with a value of 0. Thus the beams corresponding to TCI codepoint  530   d  are not used for simultaneous reception. When UE  110  wants to reinstate simultaneous reception on DL transmissions using the beams associated with TCI codepoint  530   d , UE  110  transmits MAC-CE indication  500  with TCI codepoint  530   d  with a value of 1. Note that gNB  120  can transmit MAC-CE indication  500  to UE  110  to deactivate and re-activate various TCI codepoints as well. 
       FIG.  6    illustrates an example MAC-CE indication  600  that indicates whether a UE can simultaneously transmit an UL transmission via a certain combination of beams, according to some embodiments of the disclosure. As an example, UE  110  can transmit MAC-CE indication  600  to temporarily stop simultaneous UL transmissions that correspond to particular SRI codepoints. MAC-CE indication  600  includes serving cell ID  615 , BWP  620 , and SRI codepoints  640   a - 640   h  that represent a bit mask for 8 SRI codepoints. To temporarily stop simultaneous UL transmissions associated with SRI codepoint  5  labeled as SRI codepoint  640   f , UE  110  transmits MAC-CE indication  600  with SRI codepoint  640   f  with a value of 0, to gNB  120 . To reinstate simultaneous UL transmissions, UE  110  transmits MAC-CE indication  600  to gNB  120  with SRI codepoint  640   f  with a value of 1. GNB  120  can transmit MAC-CE indication  600  to UE  110  to deactivate or re-activate various SRI codepoints as well. 
     At  370 , system  200  can place one or more panels corresponding to a beam associated with a TCI codepoint into a dormant state. When UE  110  is first powered, UE  110  reports capabilities to gNB  120  and registers to a network (e.g., gNB  120 .)  FIG.  9    illustrates example  900  of beam switch timing delays, according to some embodiments of the disclosure. The reporting of UE  110  capabilities to gNB  120  can include beamSwitchTiming  910  and/or timeDurationForQCL  920  as shown in  FIG.  9   , for example. UE  110  can operate in TDM mode. When UE  110  receives a TDM signal from gNB  120  that is directed to the dormant panel, UE  110  can re-activate the panel according to the beam switch timing delay or time duration for Quasi-Colocation (QCL) as shown in  FIG.  9   . The beam switch timing delay can be a largest value of beamSwitchTiming  910  and/or timeDurationForQCL  920 . UE  110  can re-activate the panel and receive the TDM signal via the re-activated panel. 
       FIG.  4    illustrates a method  400  for an example 5G Node B (gNB) for group based reporting beam management, according to some embodiments of the disclosure. As a convenience and not a limitation,  FIG.  4   , may be described with elements of previous figures. For example, method  400  may be performed by gNB  120  of  FIG.  1    or system  200  of  FIG.  2   . 
     At  405 , system  200  can receive a ranking of two or more beams over which a user equipment (UE) can simultaneously receive DL transmissions and/or simultaneously transmit UL transmissions. For example, gNB  120  can receive a ranking of combinations of beams from UE  110  over which UE  110  can simultaneously receive DL transmissions and/or simultaneously transmit UL transmissions. 
     At  410 , system  200  can transmit a TCI codepoint that corresponds to two or more beams from which the UE can simultaneously receive DL transmissions and/or simultaneously transmit UL transmissions. For example, gNB  120  can transmit a TCI codepoint table (e.g., Table 1) to UE  110 . 
     At  415 , system  200  can transmit the two or more beams identified by the TCI codepoint. For example, gNB  120  can transmit combinations of beams corresponding to TCI codepoints of the TCI codepoint table for UE to simultaneously receive DL transmissions and/or simultaneously transmit UL transmissions. 
     At  420 , system  200  can receive a group beam report corresponding to the simultaneous reception by the UE of the two or more beams identified by the TCI codepoint, that includes a SINR measurement per beam of the two or more beams (e.g., Table 2.) In some embodiments the group report includes RSRP measurements and/or a combination of SINR and RSRP measurements. 
     At  425 , system  200  can process the group beam report that includes a reference measurement and other measurements where the reference measurement is quantized with more bits than the other measurements, where the reference measurement is a largest measurement in the group beam report, and/or where the reference measurement is identified by a location within the group beam report (e.g., Table 2 and/or Table 3.) 
     At  430 , the group beam report may include an indication of the TCI codepoints and thus the corresponding beams over which the UE can simultaneously transmit uplink (UL) transmissions (e.g., Table 6.) 
     At  435 , system  200  can transmit an SRI codepoint that identifies two or more SRIs over which the UE can simultaneously transmit UL transmissions. For example, gNB  120  can generate and transmit Table 7 to UE  110 . 
     At  440 , system  200  can receive simultaneous UL transmissions via the beams corresponding to a TCI codepoint including at least a first and second beam, where the first beam corresponds to a first group of SRS resources and the second beam corresponds to a second group of SRS resources. For example, gNB  120  can generate MAC-CE indication  700  of  FIG.  7    and transmit to UE  110 , where the simultaneous UL transmissions received from UE  110  correspond to MAC-CE indication  700 . 
     At  445 , system  200  can receive an indication that the UE is not simultaneously receiving DL transmissions on the beams corresponding to the TCI codepoint, and/or the UE is not simultaneously transmitting UL transmissions on the beams corresponding to a second TCI codepoint; the TCI codepoint and the second TCI codepoint can be the same or different TCI codepoints. For example, gNB  120  can receive MAC-CE indication  500  of  FIG.  5    and/or MAC-CE indication  600  of  FIG.  6   . GNB  120  can also transmit MAC-CE indication  500  and/or MAC-CE indication  600  to UE  110 . 
     At  450 , system  200  can receive beam switch timing delays and/or time durations for Quasi-Colocation (QCL), according to UE  110  report configurations. These may have been received earlier (e.g., when UE  110  powered up.) 
     At  455 , subsequent to receiving the indication that the UE is not receiving simultaneous DL transmissions corresponding to the TCI codepoint, system  200  can transmit a TDM signal corresponding to a beam corresponding to the TCI codepoint. The TDM signal can be transmitted according to a beam switch timing delay or the time durations for QCL. For example, after receiving MAC-CE indication  500  that a given TCI codepoint is inactive, gNB  120  can switch to TDM mode, wait for a beam switch timing delay as shown in  FIG.  9    according to report configuration information received from UE  110 , and then transmit a TDM signal corresponding to the inactive TCI codepoint to UE  110 . 
     Various embodiments can be implemented, for example, using one or more well-known computer systems, such as computer system  1000  shown in  FIG.  10   . Computer system  1000  can be any well-known computer capable of performing the functions described herein. For example, and without limitation, system  200  of  FIG.  2   , method  300  of  FIG.  3   , and method  400  of  FIG.  4    (and/or other apparatuses and/or components shown in the figures) may be implemented using computer system  1000 , or portions thereof. 
     Computer system  1000  includes one or more processors (also called central processing units, or CPUs), such as a processor  1004 . Processor  1004  is connected to a communication infrastructure or bus  1006 . One or more processors  1004  may each be a graphics processing unit (GPU). In an embodiment, a GPU is a processor that is a specialized electronic circuit designed to process mathematically intensive applications. The GPU may have a parallel structure that is efficient for parallel processing of large blocks of data, such as mathematically intensive data common to computer graphics applications, images, videos, etc. 
     Computer system  1000  also includes user input/output device(s)  1003 , such as monitors, keyboards, pointing devices, etc., that communicate with communication infrastructure  1006  through user input/output interface(s)  1002 . Computer system  1000  also includes a main or primary memory  1008 , such as random access memory (RAM). Main memory  1008  may include one or more levels of cache. Main memory  1008  has stored therein control logic (e.g., computer software) and/or data. 
     Computer system  1000  may also include one or more secondary storage devices or memory  1010 . Secondary memory  1010  may include, for example, a hard disk drive  1012  and/or a removable storage device or drive  1014 . Removable storage drive  1014  may be a floppy disk drive, a magnetic tape drive, a compact disk drive, an optical storage device, tape backup device, and/or any other storage device/drive. 
     Removable storage drive  1014  may interact with a removable storage unit  1018 . Removable storage unit  1018  includes a computer usable or readable storage device having stored thereon computer software (control logic) and/or data. Removable storage unit  1018  may be a floppy disk, magnetic tape, compact disk, DVD, optical storage disk, and/any other computer data storage device. Removable storage drive  1014  reads from and/or writes to removable storage unit  1018  in a well-known manner. 
     According to some embodiments, secondary memory  1010  may include other means, instrumentalities or other approaches for allowing computer programs and/or other instructions and/or data to be accessed by computer system  1000 . Such means, instrumentalities or other approaches may include, for example, a removable storage unit  1022  and an interface  1020 . Examples of the removable storage unit  1022  and the interface  1020  may include a program cartridge and cartridge interface (such as that found in video game devices), a removable memory chip (such as an EPROM or PROM) and associated socket, a memory stick and USB port, a memory card and associated memory card slot, and/or any other removable storage unit and associated interface. 
     Computer system  1000  may further include a communication or network interface  1024 . Communication interface  1024  enables computer system  1000  to communicate and interact with any combination of remote devices, remote networks, remote entities, etc. (individually and collectively referenced by reference number  1028 ). For example, communication interface  1024  may allow computer system  1000  to communicate with remote devices  1028  over communications path  1026 , which may be wired and/or wireless, and which may include any combination of LANs, WANs, the Internet, etc. Control logic and/or data may be transmitted to and from computer system  1000  via communication path  1026 . 
     The operations in the preceding embodiments can be implemented in a wide variety of configurations and architectures. Therefore, some or all of the operations in the preceding embodiments may be performed in hardware, in software or both. In some embodiments, a tangible, non-transitory apparatus or article of manufacture includes a tangible, non-transitory computer useable or readable medium having control logic (software) stored thereon is also referred to herein as a computer program product or program storage device. This includes, but is not limited to, computer system  1000 , main memory  1008 , secondary memory  1010  and removable storage units  1018  and  1022 , as well as tangible articles of manufacture embodying any combination of the foregoing. Such control logic, when executed by one or more data processing devices (such as computer system  1000 ), causes such data processing devices to operate as described herein. 
     Based on the teachings contained in this disclosure, it will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s) how to make and use embodiments of the disclosure using data processing devices, computer systems and/or computer architectures other than that shown in  FIG.  10   . In particular, embodiments may operate with software, hardware, and/or operating system implementations other than those described herein. 
     It is to be appreciated that the Detailed Description section, and not the Summary and Abstract sections, is intended to be used to interpret the claims. The Summary and Abstract sections may set forth one or more but not all exemplary embodiments of the disclosure as contemplated by the inventor(s), and thus, are not intended to limit the disclosure or the appended claims in any way. 
     While the disclosure has been described herein with reference to exemplary embodiments for exemplary fields and applications, it should be understood that the disclosure is not limited thereto. Other embodiments and modifications thereto are possible, and are within the scope and spirit of the disclosure. For example, and without limiting the generality of this paragraph, embodiments are not limited to the software, hardware, firmware, and/or entities illustrated in the figures and/or described herein. Further, embodiments (whether or not explicitly described herein) have significant utility to fields and applications beyond the examples described herein. 
     Embodiments have been described herein with the aid of functional building blocks illustrating the implementation of specified functions and relationships thereof. The boundaries of these functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined herein for the convenience of the description. Alternate boundaries can be defined as long as the specified functions and relationships (or equivalents thereof) are appropriately performed. In addition, alternative embodiments may perform functional blocks, steps, operations, methods, etc. using orderings different from those described herein. 
     References herein to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “an example embodiment,” or similar phrases, indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it would be within the knowledge of persons skilled in the relevant art(s) to incorporate such feature, structure, or characteristic into other embodiments whether or not explicitly mentioned or described herein. 
     The breadth and scope of the disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents. 
     It is well understood that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled so as to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to users. 
     As described above, aspects of the present technology may include the gathering and use of data available from various sources, e.g., to improve or enhance functionality. The present disclosure contemplates that in some instances, this gathered data may include personal information data that uniquely identifies or can be used to contact or locate a specific person. Such personal information data can include demographic data, location-based data, telephone numbers, email addresses, Twitter ID&#39;s, home addresses, data or records relating to a user&#39;s health or level of fitness (e.g., vital signs measurements, medication information, exercise information), date of birth, or any other identifying or personal information. The present disclosure recognizes that the use of such personal information data, in the present technology, may be used to the benefit of users. 
     The present disclosure contemplates that the entities responsible for the collection, analysis, disclosure, transfer, storage, or other use of such personal information data will comply with well-established privacy policies and/or privacy practices. In particular, such entities should implement and consistently use privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining personal information data private and secure. Such policies should be easily accessible by users, and should be updated as the collection and/or use of data changes. Personal information from users should be collected for legitimate and reasonable uses of the entity and not shared or sold outside of those legitimate uses. Further, such collection/sharing should only occur after receiving the informed consent of the users. Additionally, such entities should consider taking any needed steps for safeguarding and securing access to such personal information data and ensuring that others with access to the personal information data adhere to their privacy policies and procedures. Further, such entities can subject themselves to evaluation by third parties to certify their adherence to widely accepted privacy policies and practices. In addition, policies and practices should be adapted for the particular types of personal information data being collected and/or accessed and adapted to applicable laws and standards, including jurisdiction-specific considerations. For instance, in the US, collection of, or access to, certain health data may be governed by federal and/or state laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA); whereas health data in other countries may be subject to other regulations and policies and should be handled accordingly. Hence different privacy practices should be maintained for different personal data types in each country. 
     Despite the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplates embodiments in which users selectively block the use of, or access to, personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplates that hardware and/or software elements can be provided to prevent or block access to such personal information data. For example, the present technology may be configurable to allow users to selectively “opt in” or “opt out” of participation in the collection of personal information data, e.g., during registration for services or anytime thereafter. In addition to providing “opt in” and “opt out” options, the present disclosure contemplates providing notifications relating to the access or use of personal information. For instance, a user may be notified upon downloading an app that their personal information data will be accessed and then reminded again just before personal information data is accessed by the app. 
     Moreover, it is the intent of the present disclosure that personal information data should be managed and handled in a way to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use. Risk can be minimized by limiting the collection of data and deleting data once it is no longer needed. In addition, and when applicable, including in certain health related applications, data de-identification can be used to protect a user&#39;s privacy. De-identification may be facilitated, when appropriate, by removing specific identifiers (e.g., date of birth, etc.), controlling the amount or specificity of data stored (e.g., collecting location data a city level rather than at an address level), controlling how data is stored (e.g., aggregating data across users), and/or other methods. 
     Therefore, although the present disclosure may broadly cover use of personal information data to implement one or more various disclosed embodiments, the present disclosure also contemplates that the various embodiments can also be implemented without the need for accessing such personal information data. That is, the various embodiments of the present technology are not rendered inoperable due to the lack of all or a portion of such personal information data.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20200408
Publication Date: 20240924
Grant Date: 20240924
Priority Date: 20200408
Inventors: SUN, HAITONG
YAO, CHUNHAI
YE, CHUNXUAN
ZHANG, DAWEI
HE, HONG
TANG, JIA
OTERI, OGHENEKOME
ZHAO, Pengkai
PU, TIANYAN
ZENG, WEI
ZHANG, WEI
YANG, WEIDONG
HWANG, YEONG-SUN
KIM, YUCHUL
ZHANG, YUSHU
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H04W52/365", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W24/10", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B17/336", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W72/23", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y02D30/70", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W72/046", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W52/365", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04L5/0051", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B17/336", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B17/318", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B7/088", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B7/0877", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B7/0695", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B7/0417", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B7/0408", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B7/063", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B7/0695", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W16/28", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B7/063", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B7/088", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W52/365", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W24/10", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B17/336", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W16/28", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 78022489