PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-11956646-B2
Application Number: US-201917290829-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Enhancements for uplink beam operations

Abstract:
An apparatus of user equipment (UE) includes processing circuitry coupled to a memory, where to configure the UE for uplink (UL) beam selection in a New Radio (NR) network, the processing circuitry is to decode a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) from a base station. The MAC CE identifies a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource set and a plurality of spatial relationship reference signals. An SRS is selected from the SRS resource set. A beam direction associated with a spatial relationship reference signal of the plurality of spatial relationship reference signals is derived. The spatial relationship reference signal corresponds to the selected SRS. The SRS is encoded for beamforming to transmit the selected SRS in the derived beam direction.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An apparatus, comprising:
 one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause a user equipment (UE) to:
 decode a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) from a base station, the MAC CE dynamically configuring a spatial relationship for physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources within a PUCCH resource set, wherein the dynamic configuration configures the same spatial relationship for the PUCCH resources within the PUCCH resource set, wherein the dynamic configuration is applied after transmitting a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARD) acknowledgement (ACK) of reception of a primary downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carrying the MAC CE; 
 identify a PUCCH resource of the PUCCH resource set and the spatial relationship corresponding to a beam direction; and 
 encode a PUCCH for beamforming to transmit the PUCCH on the PUCCH resource in the corresponding beam direction. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the MAC CE separately indicates a spatial relationship for each of a plurality of PUCCH resources sets. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the MAC CE indicates the same spatial relationship applies for PUCCH resources of all PUCCH resource sets. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the MAC CE includes a bandwidth part (BWP) ID to identify the BWP for which the MAC CE applies. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the MAC CE includes a serving cell ID to identify the serving cell for which the MAC CE applies. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the MAC CE is 3 octets. 
     
     
       7. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the MAC CE reduces the signaling overhead in comparison to a PUCCH spatial relation activation/deactivation MAC CE. 
     
     
       8. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the spatial relationship in the MAC CE is configured by a PUCCH-SpatialRelationlnfold. 
     
     
       9. A computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions for execution by one or more processors of a user equipment (UE), the instructions to configure the UE for uplink (UL) beam selection in a New Radio (NR) network, and to cause the UE to:
 decode a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) from a base station, the MAC CE dynamically configuring a spatial relationship for physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources within a PUCCH resource set, wherein the dynamic configuration configures the same spatial relationship for the PUCCH resources within the PUCCH resource set, wherein the dynamic configuration is applied after transmitting a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgement (ACK) of reception of a primary downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carrying the MAC CE; 
 identify a PUCCH resource of the PUCCH resource set and the spatial relationship corresponding to a beam direction; and 
 encode a PUCCH for beamforming to transmit the PUCCH on the PUCCH resource in the corresponding beam direction. 
 
     
     
       10. The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 9 , wherein the MAC CE separately indicates a spatial relationship for each of a plurality of PUCCH resources sets. 
     
     
       11. The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 9 , wherein the MAC CE indicates the same spatial relationship applies for PUCCH resources of all PUCCH resource sets. 
     
     
       12. The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 9 , wherein the MAC CE includes a bandwidth part (BWP) ID to identify the BWP for which the MAC CE applies. 
     
     
       13. The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 9 , wherein the MAC CE includes a serving cell ID to identify the serving cell P for which the MAC CE applies. 
     
     
       14. The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 9 , wherein the spatial relationship in the MAC CE is configured by a PUCCH-SpatialRelationlnfold. 
     
     
       15. A user equipment (UE), comprising:
 wireless communication circuitry; 
 one or more processors coupled to the wireless communication circuitry, wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the UE to:
 decode a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) from a base station, the MAC CE dynamically configuring a spatial relationship for physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources within a PUCCH resource set, wherein the dynamic configuration configures the same spatial relationship for the PUCCH resources within the PUCCH resource set, wherein the dynamic configuration is applied after transmitting a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgement (ACK) of reception of a primary downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carrying the MAC CE; 
 identify a PUCCH resource of the PUCCH resource set and the spatial relationship corresponding to a beam direction; and 
 encode a PUCCH for beamforming to transmit the PUCCH on the PUCCH resource in the corresponding beam direction. 
 
 
     
     
       16. The UE of  claim 15 , wherein the MAC CE separately indicates a spatial relationship for each of a plurality of PUCCH resources sets. 
     
     
       17. The UE of  claim 15 , wherein the MAC CE indicates the same spatial relationship applies for PUCCH resources of all PUCCH resource sets. 
     
     
       18. The UE of  claim 15 , wherein the MAC CE includes a bandwidth part (BWP) ID to identify the BWP for which the MAC CE applies. 
     
     
       19. The UE of  claim 15 , wherein the MAC CE includes a serving cell ID to identify the serving cell for which the MAC CE applies. 
     
     
       20. The UE of  claim 15 , wherein the spatial relationship in the MAC CE is configured by a PUCCH-SpatialRelationlnfold.

Description:
PRIORITY CLAIM 
     This application is a U.S. National Stage filing of International Application No. PCT/US2019/063308, filed Nov. 26, 2019, entitled “ENHANCEMENTS FOR UPLINK BEAM OPERATIONS”, which claims the benefit of priority to the U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/777,494, filed Dec. 10, 2018, and entitled “METHODS FOR ENHANCED UPLINK BEAM OPERATIONS,” each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     Aspects pertain to wireless communications. Some aspects relate to wireless networks including 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) networks, 3GPP LTE (Long Term Evolution) networks, 3GPP LTE-A (LTE Advanced) networks, and fifth-generation (5G) networks including 5G new radio (NR) (or 5G-NR) networks, 5G-LTE networks, and 5G NR unlicensed spectrum (NR-U) networks. Other aspects are directed to enhancements for uplink beam operations. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Mobile communications have evolved significantly from early voice systems to today&#39;s highly sophisticated integrated communication platform. With the increase in different types of devices communicating with various network devices, usage of 3GPP LTE systems has increased. The penetration of mobile devices (user equipment or UEs) in modern society has continued to drive demand for a wide variety of networked devices in a number of disparate environments. Fifth-generation (5G) wireless systems are forthcoming and are expected to enable even greater speed, connectivity, and usability. Next generation 5G networks (or NR networks) are expected to increase throughput, coverage, and robustness and reduce latency and operational and capital expenditures. 5G-NR networks will continue to evolve based on 3GPP LTE-Advanced with additional potential new radio access technologies (RATs) to enrich people&#39;s lives with seamless wireless connectivity solutions delivering fast, rich content and services. As current cellular network frequency is saturated, higher frequencies, such as millimeter wave (mmWave) frequency, can be beneficial due to their high bandwidth. 
     Potential LTE operation in the unlicensed spectrum includes and is not limited to) the LTE operation in the unlicensed spectrum via dual connectivity (DC), or DC-based LAA, and the standalone LTE system in the unlicensed spectrum, according to which LTE-based technology solely operates in unlicensed spectrum without requiring an “anchor” in the licensed spectrum, called MulteFire. MulteFire combines the performance benefits of LTE technology with the simplicity of Wi-Fi-like deployments. 
     Further enhanced operation of LTE systems in the licensed as well as unlicensed spectrum is expected in future releases and 5G systems. Such enhanced operations can include methods for uplink beam operations. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       In the figures, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like numerals may describe similar components in different views. Like numerals having different letter suffixes may represent different instances of similar components. The figures illustrate generally, by way of example, but not by way of limitation, various aspects discussed in the present document. 
         FIG.  1 A  illustrates an architecture of a network, in accordance with some aspects. 
         FIG.  1 B  and  FIG.  1 C  illustrate a non-roaming 5G system architecture in accordance with some aspects. 
         FIG.  2    illustrates a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) for periodic/aperiodic sounding reference signal (SRS) resource set spatial relationship configuration, in accordance with some aspects. 
         FIG.  3    illustrates an enhanced MAC CE for SRS resource set spatial relationship configuration, in accordance with some aspects. 
         FIG.  4    illustrates a MAC CE for a PUCCH resource set spatial relationship configuration, in accordance with some aspects. 
         FIG.  5    illustrates a block diagram of a communication device such as an evolved Node-B (eNB), a new generation Node-B (gNB), an access point (AP), a wireless station (STA), a mobile station (MS), or a user equipment (UE), in accordance with some aspects. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following description and the drawings sufficiently illustrate aspects to enable those skilled in the art to practice them. Other aspects may incorporate structural, logical, electrical, process, and other changes. Portions and features of some aspects may be included in or substituted for, those of other aspects. Aspects set forth in the claims encompass all available equivalents of those claims. 
       FIG.  1 A  illustrates an architecture of a network in accordance with some aspects. The network  140 A is shown to include user equipment (UE)  101  and UE  102 . The UEs  101  and  102  are illustrated as smartphones (e.g., handheld touchscreen mobile computing devices connectable to one or more cellular networks) but may also include any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as Personal Data Assistants (PDAs), pagers, laptop computers, desktop computers, wireless handsets, drones, or any other computing device including a wired and/or wireless communications interface. The UEs  101  and  102  can be collectively referred to herein as UE  101 , and UE  101  can be used to perform one or more of the techniques disclosed herein. 
     Any of the radio links described herein (e.g., as used in the network  140 A or any other illustrated network) may operate according to any exemplary radio communication technology and/or standard. 
     LTE and LTE-Advanced are standards for wireless communications of high-speed data for UE such as mobile telephones. In LTE-Advanced and various wireless systems, carrier aggregation is a technology according to which multiple carrier signals operating on different frequencies may be used to carry communications for a single LT, thus increasing the bandwidth available to a single device. In some aspects, carrier aggregation may be used where one or more component carriers operate on unlicensed frequencies. 
     Aspects described herein can be used in the context of any spectrum management scheme including, for example, dedicated licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, (licensed) shared spectrum (such as Licensed Shared Access (LSA) in 2.3-2.4 GHz, 3.4-3.6 GHz, 3.6-3.8 GHz, and further frequencies and Spectrum Access System (SAS) in 3.55-3.7 GHz and further frequencies). 
     Aspects described herein can also be applied to different Single Carrier or OFDM flavors (CP-OFDM, SC-FDMA, SC-OFDM, filter bank-based multicarrier (FBMC), OFDMA, etc.) and in particular 3GPP NR (New Radio) by allocating the OFDM carrier data bit vectors to the corresponding symbol resources. 
     In some aspects, any of the UEs  101  and  102  can comprise an Internet-of-Things (IoT) UE or a Cellular IoT (CIoT) UE, which can comprise a network access layer designed for low-power IoT applications utilizing short-lived UE connections. In some aspects, any of the UEs  101  and  102  can include a narrowband (NB) IoT UE (e.g., such as an enhanced NB-IoT (eNB-IoT) UE and Further Enhanced (FeNB-IoT) UE). An IoT UE can utilize technologies such as machine-to-machine (M2M) or machine-type communications (MTC) for exchanging data with an MTC server or device via a public land mobile network (PLMN), Proximity-Based Service (ProSe) or device-to-device (D2D) communication, sensor networks, or IoT networks. The M2M or MTC exchange of data may be a machine-initiated exchange of data. An IoT network includes interconnecting IoT UEs, which may include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices (within the Internet infrastructure), with short-lived connections. The IoT UEs may execute background applications (e.g., keep-alive messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate the connections of the IoT network. 
     In some aspects, any of the UEs  101  and  102  can include enhanced MTC (eMTC) UEs or further enhanced MTC (FeMTC) UEs. 
     The UEs  101  and  102  may be configured to connect, e.g., communicatively couple, with a radio access network (RAN)  110 . The RAN  110  may be, for example, an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), a NextGen RAN (NG RAN), or some other type of RAN. The UEs  101  and  102  utilize connections  103  and  104 , respectively, each of which comprises a physical communications interface or layer (discussed in further detail below); in this example, the connections  103  and  104  are illustrated as an air interface to enable communicative coupling, and can be consistent with cellular communications protocols, such as a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) protocol, a code-division multiple access (CDMA) network protocol, a Push-to-Talk (PTT) protocol, a PTT over Cellular (POC) protocol, a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) protocol, a 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) protocol, a fifth-generation (5G) protocol, a New Radio (NR) protocol, and the like. 
     In an aspect, the UEs  101  and  102  may further directly exchange communication data via a ProSe interface  105 . The ProSe interface  105  may alternatively be referred to as a sidelink interface comprising one or more logical channels, including but not limited to a Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), a Physical Sidelink Discovery Channel (PSDCH), and a Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH). 
     The UE  102  is shown to be configured to access an access point (AP)  106  via connection  107 . The connection  107  can comprise a local wireless connection, such as, for example, a connection consistent with any IEEE 802.11 protocol, according to which the AP  106  can comprise a wireless fidelity (WiFi®) router. In this example, the AP  106  is shown to be connected to the Internet without connecting to the core network of the wireless system (described in further detail below). 
     The RAN  110  can include one or more access nodes that enable the connections  103  and  104 . These access nodes (ANs) can be referred to as base stations (BSs), NodeBs, evolved NodeBs (eNBs), Next Generation NodeBs (gNBs), RAN nodes, and the like, and can comprise ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations providing coverage within a geographic area (e.g., a cell). In some aspects, the communication nodes  111  and  112  can be transmission/reception points (TRPs). In instances when the communication nodes  111  and  112  are NodeBs (e.g., eNBs or gNBs), one or more TRPs can function within the communication cell of the NodeBs. The RAN  110  may include one or more RAN nodes for providing macrocells, e.g., macro RAN node  111 , and one or more RAN nodes for providing femtocells or picocells (e.g., cells having smaller coverage areas, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth compared to macrocells), e.g., low power (LP) RAN node  112 . 
     Any of the RAN nodes  111  and  112  can terminate the air interface protocol and can be the first point of contact for the UEs  101  and  102 . In some aspects, any of the RAN nodes  111  and  112  can fulfill various logical functions for the RAN  110  including, but not limited to, radio network controller (RNC) functions such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management and data packet scheduling, and mobility management. In an example, any of the nodes  111  and/or  112  can be a new generation Node-B (gNB), an evolved node-B (eNB), or another type of RAN node. 
     The RAN  110  is shown to be communicatively coupled to a core network (CN)  120  via an S1 interface  113 . In aspects, the CN  120  may be an evolved packet core (EPC) network, a NextGen Packet Core (NPC) network, or some other type of CN (e.g., as illustrated in reference to  FIGS.  1 B- 1 I ). In this aspect, the S1 interface  113  is split into two parts: the S1-U interface  114 , which carries traffic data between the RAN nodes  111  and  112  and the serving gateway (S-GW)  122 , and the S1-mobility management entity (MMF) interface  115 , which is a signaling interface between the RAN nodes  111  and  112  and MMEs  121 . 
     In this aspect, the CN  120  comprises the MMEs  121 , the S-GW  122 , the Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (P-GW)  123 , and a home subscriber server (HSS)  124 . The MMEs  121  may be similar in function to the control plane of legacy Serving General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Nodes (SGSN). The MMEs  121  may manage mobility aspects in access such as gateway selection and tracking area list management. The HSS  124  may comprise a database for network users, including subscription-related information to support the network entities&#39; handling of communication sessions. The CN  120  may comprise one or several HSSs  124 , depending on the number of mobile subscribers, on the capacity of the equipment, on the organization of the network, etc. For example, the HSS  124  can provide support for routing/roaming, authentication, authorization, naming/addressing resolution, location dependencies, etc. 
     The S-GW  122  may terminate the S1 interface  113  towards the RAN  110 , and routes data packets between the RAN  110  and the CN  120 . In addition, the S-GW  122  may be a local mobility anchor point for inter-RAN node handovers and also may provide an anchor for inter-3GPP mobility. Other responsibilities of the S-GW  122  may include a lawful intercept, charging, and some policy enforcement. 
     The P-GW  123  may terminate an SGi interface toward a PDN. The P-GW  123  may route data packets between the EPC network  120  and external networks such as a network including the application server  184  (alternatively referred to as application function (AF)) via an Internet Protocol (IP) interface  125 . The P-GW  123  can also communicate data to other external networks  131 A, which can include the Internet, IP multimedia subsystem (IPS) network, and other networks. Generally, the application server  184  may be an element offering applications that use IP bearer resources with the core network (e.g., UMTS Packet Services (PS) domain, LTE PS data services, etc.). In this aspect, the P-GW  123  is shown to be communicatively coupled to an application server  184  via an IP interface  125 . The application server  184  can also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) sessions, PTT sessions, group communication sessions, social networking services, etc.) for the UEs  101  and  102  via the CN  120 . 
     The P-GW  123  may further be a node for policy enforcement and charging data collection. Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF)  126  is the policy and charging control element of the CN  120 . In a non-roaming scenario, in some aspects, there may be a single PCRF in the Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN) associated with a UE&#39;s Internet Protocol Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session. In a roaming scenario with a local breakout of traffic, there may be two PCRFs associated with a UE&#39;s IP-CAN session: a Home PCRF (H-PCRF) within an HPLMN and a Visited PCRF (V-PCRF) within a Visited Public Land Mobile Network (VPLMN). The PCRF  126  may be communicatively coupled to the application server  184  via the P-GW  123 . 
     In some aspects, the communication network  140 A can be an IoT network or a 5G network, including 5G new radio network using communications in the licensed (5G NR) and the unlicensed (5G NR-U) spectrum. One of the current enablers of IoT is the narrowband-IoT (NB-IoT). 
     An NG system architecture can include the RAN  110  and a 5G network core (5GC)  120 . The NG-RAN  110  can include a plurality of nodes, such as gNBs and NG-eNBs. The core network  120  (e.g., a 5G core network or 5GC) can include an access and mobility function (ANTE) and/or a user plane function (UPF). The AMF and the UPF can be communicatively coupled to the gNBs and the NG-eNBs via NG interfaces. More specifically, in some aspects, the gNBs and the NG-eNBs can be connected to the AMF by NG-C interfaces, and to the UPF by NG-U interfaces. The gNBs and the NG-eNBs can be coupled to each other via Xn interfaces. 
     In some aspects, the NG system architecture can use reference points between various nodes as provided by 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 23.501 (e.g., V15.4.0, 2018 December). In some aspects, each of the gNBs and the NG-eNBs can be implemented as a base station, a mobile edge server, a small cell, a home eNB, and so forth. In some aspects, a gNB can be a master node (MN) and NG-eNB can be a secondary node (SN) in a 5G architecture. 
       FIG.  1 B  illustrates a non-roaming 5G system architecture in accordance with some aspects. Referring to  FIG.  1 B , there is illustrated a 5G system architecture  140 B in a reference point representation. More specifically, UE  102  can be in communication with RAN  110  as well as one or more other 5G core (5GC) network entities. The 5G system architecture  140 B includes a plurality of network functions (NFs), such as access and mobility management function (ANTE)  132 , session management function (SMF)  136 , policy control function (PCF)  148 , application function (AF)  150 , user plane function (UPF)  134 , network slice selection function (NSSF)  142 , authentication server function (AU SF)  144 , and unified data management (UDM)/home subscriber server (HSS)  146 . The UPF  134  can provide a connection to a data network (DN)  152 , which can include, for example, operator services, Internet access, or third-party services. The AMF  132  can be used to manage access control and mobility and can also include network slice selection functionality. The SMF  136  can be configured to set up and manage various sessions according to network policy. The UPF  134  can be deployed in one or more configurations according to the desired service type. The PCF  148  can be configured to provide a policy framework using network slicing, mobility management, and roaming (similar to PCRF in a 4G communication system). The UDM can be configured to store subscriber profiles and data (similar to an HSS in a 4G communication system). 
     In some aspects, the 5G system architecture  140 B includes an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS)  168 B as well as a plurality of IP multimedia core network subsystem entities, such as call session control functions (CSCFs). More specifically, the IMS  168 B includes a CSCF, which can act as a proxy CSCF (P-CSCF)  162 BE, a serving CSCF (S-CSCF)  164 B, an emergency CSCF (E-CSCF) (not illustrated in  FIG.  1 B ), or interrogating CSCF (I-CSCF)  166 B, The P-CSCF  162 B can be configured to be the first contact point for the UE  102  within the IM subsystem (IMS)  168 B. The S-CSCF  164 B can be configured to handle the session states in the network, and the E-CSCF can be configured to handle certain aspects of emergency sessions such as routing an emergency request to the correct emergency center or PSAP. The I-CSCF  166 B can be configured to function as the contact point within an operators network for all IMS connections destined to a subscriber of that network operator, or a roaming subscriber currently located within that network operator&#39;s service area. In some aspects, the I-CSCF  166 B can be connected to another IP multimedia network  170 E, e.g. an IMS operated by a different network operator. 
     In some aspects, the UDM/HSS  146  can be coupled to an application server  160 E, which can include a telephony application server (TAS) or another application server (AS). The AS  160 B can be coupled to the IMS  168 B via the S-CSCF  164 B or the I-CSCF  166 B. 
     A reference point representation shows that interaction can exist between corresponding NF services. For example,  FIG.  19    illustrates the following reference points: N 1  (between the UE  102  and the AMF  132 ), N 2  (between the RAN  110  and the AMF  132 ), N 3  (between the RAN  110  and the UPF  134 ), N 4  (between the SMF  136  and the UPF  134 ), N 5  (between the PCF  148  and the AF  150 , not shown), N 6  (between the UPF  134  and the DN  152 ), N 7  (between the SMF  136  and the PCF  148 , not shown), N 8  (between the UDM  146  and the AMF  132 , not shown), N 9  (between two UPFs  134 , not shown), N 10  (between the UDM  146  and the SMF  136 , not shown), N 11  (between the AMF  132  and the SMF  136 , not shown), N 12  (between the AUSF  144  and the AMF  132 , not shown), N 13  (between the AUSF  144  and the UDM  146 , not shown), N 14  (between two AMFs  132 , not shown), N 15  (between the PCF  148  and the AMF  132  in case of a non-roaming scenario, or between the PCF  148  and a visited network and AMF  132  in case of a roaming scenario, not shown), N 16  (between two SMFs, not shown), and N 22  (between AMF  132  and NSSF  142 , not shown). Other reference point representations not shown in  FIG.  1 E  can also be used. 
       FIG.  1 C  illustrates a 5G system architecture  140 C and a service-based representation. In addition to the network entities illustrated in FIG. system architecture  140 C can also include a network exposure function (NEF)  154  and a network repository function (NRF)  156 . In some aspects, 5G system architectures can be service-based and interaction between network functions can be represented by corresponding point-to-point reference points Ni or as service-based interfaces. 
     In some aspects, as illustrated in  FIG.  1 C , service-based representations can be used to represent network functions within the control plane that enable other authorized network functions to access their services. In this regard, 5G system architecture  140 C can include the following service-based interfaces: Namf  158 H (a service-based interface exhibited by the AMF  132 ), Nsmf  1581  (a service-based interface exhibited by the SMF  136 ), Nnef  158 B (a service-based interface exhibited by the NEF  154 ), Npcf  158 D (a service-based interface exhibited by the PCF  148 ), a Nudm  158 E (a service-based interface exhibited by the UDM  146 ), Naf  158 F (a service-based interface exhibited by the AF  150 ), Nnrf  158 C (a service-based interface exhibited by the NRF  156 ), Nnssf  158 A (a service-based interface exhibited by the NSSF  142 ), Nausf  158 G (a service-based interface exhibited by the AUSF  144 ). Other service-based interfaces (e.g., Nudr, N5g-eir, and Nudsf) not shown in  FIG.  1 C  can also be used. 
     Techniques discussed herein can be performed by a UE or a base station (e.g., any of the UEs or base stations illustrated in connection with  FIG.  1 A - FIG.  1 C ). 
     Beam management solutions have been standardized in 3GPP new radio (NR) Release-15. These solutions are designed to support UEs with the directional transmit/receive beamforming operations. Specifically, supported techniques include transmission of beam indications to the HE, reporting of layer 1 reference signal receive power (L1-RSRP) based on channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) and synchronization signal/physical broadcast channel (SS/PBCH) block and beam recovery procedures in case of a detected beam failure event. 
     In NR Release-16, enhancements for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmission 0 have been started with the objectives including improvements to beam management. To support downlink (DL) beam selection at the UE, a transmission configuration indication (TCI) framework may be used. The TCI framework is based on a combination of radio-resource-control (RRC), medium-access-control control-element (MAC CE) and downlink control information (DCI) signaling. Specifically, RRC may be used to semi-statically configure a set of TCI states and their respective reference signals (RSs), and MAC CE or DCI is used to dynamically select among the configured TCI states. By virtue of such combination, RRC reconfiguration signaling can be avoided for UEs only moving within a cell so as to enable the distributed implementation of the radio protocols in base station with separate central unit (CU) and distributed units (DU). 
     However, the uplink (UL) beam operation may be less flexible than DL. To support UL beam selection, a spatial relation concept has been introduced. More specifically, it may be possible to configure a spatial relation between a source DL RS and a target UL RS for the UE supporting beam correspondence. For UE not supporting beam correspondence, spatial relations between two UL RSs can be configured. However, in contrast to a DL case, the ability to update the spatial relation by using MAC CE or DCI for UL beam operation is rather limited. Techniques disclosed herein include methods to enable more flexible and dynamic adjustments of spatial relations between UL RSs for both UL data (e.g., via PUSCH) and control information (e.g., via PUCCH) beam operations. 
     MAC-CE Based Periodic/Aperiodic SRS Resource Set (or SRS-ResourceSet) Spatial Relationship Configuration 
     In some aspects, to more dynamically adjust the spatial relation setting for periodic/aperiodic SRS-ResourceSet, a new MAC CE can be used, as discussed herein and illustrated in  FIGS.  2 - 3   . The MAC CE signals the updated spatial relationship source signal for the SRS resources in the periodic/aperiodic SRS-ResourceSet. The “use” parameter of the periodic/aperiodic SRS-ResourceSet can be either “codebook” or “Non-codebook”. This would enable a more dynamic change of the set of candidate beams/panels for UL data transmission. 
     In one embodiment, the new MAC CE can be implemented by using a new logic channel ID (LCID). The format of the proposed MAC CE is illustrated in  FIG.  2   . More specifically,  FIG.  2    illustrates a MAC CE  200  for periodic/aperiodic SRS resource set spatial relationship configuration, in accordance with some aspects. 
     The fields of the MAC CE  200  in  FIG.  2    are summarized as follows:
         SUL: This field indicates whether the MAC CE applies to an NR Uplink (NUL) carrier or a supplementary UL (SUL) carrier configuration. This field may be set to “1” to indicate it applies to the SUL carrier configuration, and it may be set to “0” to indicate it applies to the NUL carrier configuration.   SRS-ResourceSet&#39;s Cell ID: This field indicates the identity of the serving cell, in which the SRS-ResourceSet is configured. The length of the field may be 5 bits.   BWP ID: This field contains the bandwidth part (BWP) identification (ID) of the SRS-ResourceSet. The length of the BWP ID field may be 2 bits.   SRS-ResourceSet ID: This field contains the SRS-ResourceSet ID. The length of the field may be 4 bits.   C: This field indicates whether the octets containing the Resource Serving Cell ID field(s) and the Resource BWP ID field(s) are present. If this field is set to “1”, the octets containing the Resource Serving Cell ID field(s) and the Resource BWP ID field(s) are present. If this field is set to “0”, they are not present and all resources indicated in the Resource IDi fields are located one the Serving Cell and BWP indicated by SRS Resource Set&#39;s cell ID and SRS Resource Set&#39;s BWP ID fields.   Fi: This field indicates the type of a resource used as a spatial relationship for SRS resource within the SRS Resource Set indicated with the SRS-ResourceSet ID field. F0 refers to the first SRS resource within the resource set, F1 to the second one, and so on. The field is set to “1” to indicate non-zero power (NZP) CSI-RS resource index is used, it is set to “0” to indicate either SSB index or SRS resource index is used. The length of the field may be 1 bit.   Resource ID#i: This field contains an identifier of the resource used for spatial relationship derivation for SRS resource i. Resource ID 0  refers to the first SRS resource within the resource set, Resource ID 1  to the second one and so on. If Fi is set to “0” and the first bit of this field is set to “1”, then the remainder of this field contains SSB-Index as may be specified in 3GPP TS is 38.331. If Fi is set to “0” and the first bit of this field is set to “0,” then the remainder this field contains an SRS-ResourceId (e.g., as may be specified in 3GPP TS 38.331). The length of the field may be 7 bits.   Resource Serving Cell ID#i: This field indicates the identity of the Serving Cell, on which the resource used for spatial relationship derivation for SRS resource i is located. The length of the field may be 5 bits.   Resource BWP ID#i: This field contains BWP-Id, as may be specified in 3GPP TS 38.331, of an uplink bandwidth part on which the resource used for spatial relationship derivation for SRS resource i is located. The length of the field may be 2 bits.   R: reserved bits, which may be set to 0.       

     In some aspects, a beam direction associated with a spatial relationship reference signal of a plurality of spatial relationship reference signals is derived (e.g., based on the MAC CE fields disclosed herein), where the spatial relationship reference signal corresponds to the selected SRS (e.g., based on the Resource ID#i). An SRS can be selected (e.g., from the identified SRS resource set), and the selected SRS is encoded for beamforming, so that the selected SRS is transmitted in the derived beam direction (e.g., via two or more antennas configured for beamforming transmissions). 
     In another embodiment, the new MAC CE can be implemented by extending a MAC CE used for semi-persistent (SP) SRS Activation/Deactivation. The enhanced format of the proposed MAC CE is illustrated in  FIG.  3   . More specifically,  FIG.  3    illustrates an enhanced MAC CE  300  for SRS resource set spatial relationship configuration, in accordance with some aspects. 
     The fields of the MAC CE  300  in  FIG.  3    are summarized as follows:
         A/D: This field is valid when the Type field is “00”. If the Type field has other values, this field may be ignored. When the Type field is “00”, this field may indicate whether the MAC CE is used to activate or deactivate indicated SP SRS resource set. The field may be set to “1” to indicate activation, otherwise, it indicates deactivation.   Type: This field defines the type of time-domain behavior of SRS-ResourceSet. The field may be set to “00”, “01,” and “11” to indicate semi-persistent, aperiodic and periodic transmission, respectively. The length of the field may be 2 bits.       

     By virtue of the new field “Type” defined in  FIG.  3   , the current MAC CE used for SP SRS activation/deactivation may be extended to configure the spatial relationship for periodic and aperiodic SRS-ResourceSet as well. The new configuration may be applied in x ms, e.g., x=3 after the HARQ-ACK has been sent in response to the PDSCH carrying the MAC CE. 
     MAC-CE Based PUCCH-ResourceSet Spatial Relationship Configuration 
     In some aspects, the spatial relationship of PUCCH resources can be reconfigured by MAC CE “PUCCH spatial relation activation/deactivation” on the PUCCH resource basis. However, in some aspects, it can be beneficial to dynamically reconfigure all the PUCCH resources in a particular PUCCH-ResourceSet or all PUCCH resources in all PUCCH-ResourceSets with same set of the spatial relationships corresponding to a set of candidate beam directions. To this end, a new MAC CE illustrated in  FIG.  4    may be used to enable the dynamic reconfiguration of spatial relationships of PUCCH resources on PUCCH-ResourceSet basis.  FIG.  4    illustrates a MAC CE  400  for a PUCCH resource set spatial relationship configuration, in accordance with some aspects. 
     The fields of the MAC CE  400  in  FIG.  4    are summarized as follows:
         Serving Cell ID: This field may indicate the identity of the Serving Cell for which the MAC CE applies. The length of the field may be 5 bits.   BWP ID: This field may contain a BWP ID of an uplink bandwidth part for which the MAC CE applies. The length of the BWP ID field may be 2 bits.   U#i: This bit field corresponds to the (i+1)th PUCCH-ResourceSet. When the bit is set to 1, the spatial relation activation field S#i in the following octet shall be applied to the (i+1)th PUCCH-ResourceSet Otherwise, the (i+1)th PUCCH-ResourceSet maintains to use the old spatial relation settings.   S#i: If there is a PUCCH Spatial Relation Info with PUCCH-SpatialRelationInfoId i (as may be specified in 3GPP TS 38.331), configured for the uplink bandwidth part indicated by BWP ID field, S#i indicates the activation status of PUCCH Spatial Relation Info with PUCCH-SpatialRelationInfoId i, otherwise the MAC entity may ignore this field. The S#i field is set to “1” to indicate PUCCH Spatial Relation Info with PUCCH-SpatialRelationInfoId i should be activated. The Si field is set to “0” to indicate PUCCH Spatial Relation Info with PUCCH-SpatialRelationInfoId i should be deactivated. If there are multiple S#i activated, i.e., is set to 1, they shall be evenly allocated to one or several PUCCH Resources in the corresponding PUCCH-ResourceSet. For example, if there are in total 8 PUCCH resources in the PUCCH-ResourceSet, and four S#i, where i=2, 3, 4 and 5, are activated. If B#n define the (n+1)th activated spatial relation, as a result, B#0=S#2, B#1=S#3, B#2=S#4 and B#3=S#5. Then the PUCCH resources 2n and 2n+1, where n=0, 1, 2 and 3, shall be associated with B#n.   R: Reserved bit, which may be set to “0”.       

     In some aspects, the new configuration shall be applied in x ms, e.g., x=3, after the HARQ-ACK has been sent in response to the PDSCH carrying the MAC CE. With the proposed MAC CE, the PUCCH resources in a particular PUCCH-ResourceSet or all PUCCH-ResourceSets can be configured with desired spatial relationships by a signal MAC CE. This significantly reduces the signaling overhead and simplifies the implementation complexity of beam tracking. 
       FIG.  5    illustrates a block diagram of a communication device such as an evolved. Node-B (eNB), a next generation Node-B (gNB), an access point (AP), a wireless station (STA), a mobile station (MS), or a user equipment (UE), in accordance with some aspects and to perform one or more of the techniques disclosed herein. In alternative aspects, the communication device  500  may operate as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g., networked) to other communication devices. 
     Circuitry (e.g., processing circuitry) is a collection of circuits implemented in tangible entities of the device  500  that include hardware (e.g., simple circuits, gates, logic, etc.). Circuitry membership may be flexible over time. Circuitries include members that may, alone or in combination, perform specified operations when operating. In an example, the hardware of the circuitry may be immutably designed to carry out a specific operation (e.g., hardwired). In an example, the hardware of the circuitry may include variably connected physical components (e.g., execution units, transistors, simple circuits, etc.) including a machine-readable medium physically modified (e.g., magnetically, electrically, moveable placement of invariant massed particles, etc.) to encode instructions of the specific operation. 
     In connecting the physical components, the underlying electrical properties of a hardware constituent are changed, for example, from an insulator to a conductor or vice versa. The instructions enable embedded hardware (e.g., the execution units or a loading mechanism) to create members of the circuitry in hardware via the variable connections to carry out portions of the specific operation when in operation. Accordingly, in an example, the machine-readable medium elements are part of the circuitry or are communicatively coupled to the other components of the circuitry when the device is operating. For example, any of the physical components may be used in more than one member of more than one circuitry. For example, under operation, execution units may be used in a first circuit of a first circuitry at one point in time and reused by a second circuit in the first circuitry, or by a third circuit in a second circuitry at a different time. Additional examples of these components with respect to the device  500  follow. 
     In some aspects, the device  500  may operate as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g., networked) to other devices. In a networked deployment, the communication device  500  may operate in the capacity of a server communication device, a client communication device, or both in server-client network environments. In an example, the communication device  500  may act as a peer communication device in peer-to-peer (P2P) (or other distributed) network environment. The communication device  500  may be a UE, eNB, PC, a tablet PC, a STB, a PDA, a mobile telephone, a smartphone, a web appliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any communication device capable of executing instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that communication device. Further, while only a single communication device is illustrated, the term “communication device” shall also be taken to include any collection of communication devices that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein, such as cloud computing, software as a service (SaaS), and other computer cluster configurations. 
     Examples, as described herein, may include, or may operate on, logic or a number of components, modules, or mechanisms. Modules are tangible entities (e.g., hardware) capable of performing specified operations and may be configured or arranged in a certain manner. In an example, circuits may be arranged (e.g., internally or with respect to external entities such as other circuits) in a specified manner as a module. In an example, the whole or part of one or more computer systems (e.g., a standalone, client or server computer system) or one or more hardware processors may be configured by firmware or software (e.g., instructions, an application portion, or an application) as a module that operates to perform specified operations. For example, the software may reside on a communication device-readable medium. In an example, the software, when executed by the underlying hardware of the module, causes the hardware to perform the specified operations. 
     Accordingly, the term “module” is understood to encompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physically constructed, specifically configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarily (e.g., transitorily) configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a specified manner or to perform part or all of any operation described herein. Considering examples in which modules are temporarily configured, each of the modules need not be instantiated at any one moment in time. For example, where the modules comprise a general-purpose hardware processor configured using the software, the general-purpose hardware processor may be configured as respective different modules at different times. The software may accordingly configure a hardware processor, for example, to constitute a particular module at one instance of time and to constitute a different module at a different instance of time. 
     Communication device (e.g., UE)  500  may include a hardware processor  502  (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), a main memory  504 , a static memory  506 , and mass storage  507  (e.g., hard drive, tape drive, flash storage, or other block or storage devices), some or all of which may communicate with each other via an interlink (e.g., bus)  508 . 
     The communication device  500  may further include a display device  510 , an alphanumeric input device  512  (e.g., a keyboard), and a user interface (UI) navigation device  514  (e.g., a mouse). In an example, the display device  510 , input device  512  and UI navigation device  514  may be a touchscreen display. The communication device  500  may additionally include a signal generation device  518  (e.g., a speaker), a network interface device  520 , and one or more sensors  521 , such as a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, compass, accelerometer, or another sensor. The communication device  500  may include an output controller  528 , such as a serial (e.g., universal serial bus (USB), parallel, or other wired or wireless (e.g., infrared (IR), near field communication (NFC), etc.) connection to communicate or control one or more peripheral devices (e.g., a printer, card reader, etc. 
     The storage device  507  may include a communication device-readable medium  522 , on which is stored one or more sets of data structures or instructions  524  (e.g., software) embodying or utilized by any one or more of the techniques or functions described herein. In some aspects, registers of the processor  502 , the main memory  504 , the static memory  506 , and/or the mass storage  507  may be, or include (completely or at least partially), the device-readable medium  522 , on which is stored the one or more sets of data structures or instructions  524 , embodying or utilized by any one or more of the techniques or functions described herein. In an example, one or any combination of the hardware processor  502 , the main memory  504 , the static memory  506 , or the mass storage  516  may constitute the device-readable medium  522 . 
     As used herein, the term “device-readable medium” is interchangeable with “computer-readable medium” or “machine-readable medium”. While the communication device-readable medium  522  is illustrated as a single medium, the term “communication device-readable medium” may include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database; and/or associated caches and servers) configured to store the one or more instructions  524 . The term “communication device-readable medium” is inclusive of the terms “machine-readable medium” or “computer-readable medium”, and may include any medium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions (e.g., instructions  524 ) for execution by the communication device  500  and that cause the communication device  500  to perform any one or more of the techniques of the present disclosure, or that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying data structures used by or associated with such instructions. Non-limiting communication device-readable medium examples may include solid-state memories and optical and magnetic media. Specific examples of communication device-readable media may include: non-volatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g., Electrically Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM)) and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; Random Access Memory (RAM); and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. In some examples, communication device-readable media may include non-transitory communication device-readable media. In some examples, communication device-readable media may include communication device-readable media that is not a transitory propagating signal. 
     The instructions  524  may further be transmitted or received over a communications network  526  using a transmission medium via the network interface device  520  utilizing any one of a number of transfer protocols. In an example, the network interface device  520  may include one or more physical jacks (e.g., Ethernet, coaxial, or phone jacks) or one or more antennas to connect to the communications network  526 . In an example, the network interface device  520  may include a plurality of antennas to wirelessly communicate using at least one of single-input-multiple-output (SIMO), MIMO, or multiple-input-single-output (MISO) techniques. In some examples, the network interface device  520  may wirelessly communicate using Multiple User MIMO techniques. 
     The term “transmission medium” shall be taken to include any intangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying instructions for execution by the communication device  500 , and includes digital or analog communications signals or another intangible medium to facilitate communication of such software. In this regard, a transmission medium in the context of this disclosure is a device-readable medium. 
     Although an aspect has been described with reference to specific exemplary aspects, it will be evident that various modifications and changes may be made to these aspects without departing from the broader scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. This Detailed Description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of various aspects is defined only by the appended claims, along with the fill range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20191126
Publication Date: 20240409
Grant Date: 20240409
Priority Date: 20181210
Inventors: MIAO, HONGLEI
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H04W16/28", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W72/046", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W72/21", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W80/02", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B7/0404", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W16/28", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B7/0695", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W72/046", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W80/02", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W72/21", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 71076593