CN113259953B

CN113259953B - Spatial relationship switching method and user equipment

Info

Publication number: CN113259953B
Application number: CN202110143540.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 唐治汛; 余仓纬; 林烜立
Original assignee: MediaTek Singapore Pte Ltd
Current assignee: MediaTek Singapore Pte Ltd
Priority date: 2020-02-12
Filing date: 2021-02-02
Publication date: 2024-05-10
Anticipated expiration: 2041-02-02
Also published as: CN113259953A; TW202131736A; TWI815083B; WO2021159292A1

Abstract

The invention provides a spatial relationship switching method and user equipment, wherein one embodiment of the invention provides a spatial relationship switching method, which comprises the following steps: receiving, by a user equipment, a spatial relationship configuration in a new radio network to switch an uplink channel to a target spatial relationship, wherein the spatial relationship configuration indicates that spatial filters of the uplink channel are quasi co-sited with spatial filters of one or more downlink reference signals; determining whether the target spatial relationship is known or unknown according to a predefined condition list; and when the target spatial relationship is known, directly switching to the target spatial relationship; when the target spatial relationship is unknown, spatial filter training is performed on co-located downlink reference signals. By utilizing the invention, the space relation switching can be better performed.

Description

Spatial relationship switching method and user equipment

Technical Field

The present invention relates to wireless communications, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for spatial relationship handover (spatial relation switching) in a New Radio (NR) communication system.

Background

In recent years, wireless communication networks have multiplied. Long term evolution (long term evolution, LTE) systems have a simplified network architecture that can provide high peak data rates, low latency, improved system capacity, and lower operating costs. LTE systems (also known as 4G systems) also provide seamless integration with existing wireless networks (e.g., GSM, CDMA, UMTS, etc.). In an LTE system, an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (evolved universal terrestrial radio access network, E-UTRAN) includes a plurality of evolved node bs (enodebs or enbs) to communicate with a plurality of mobile stations. Wherein the mobile station is also called User Equipment (UE). Third generation partnership project (3 ^rd generation partner project,3 GPP) networks typically include a hybrid of 2G/3G/4G systems. Future activities of the next generation mobile network (next generation mobile network, NGMN) are focused on defining end-to-end (end-to-end) requirements of the 5G NR system.

The increasing shortage of bandwidth has motivated the exploration of the millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum that is underutilized between 3G and 300G Hz for the next generation of broadband cellular communication networks. The available spectrum in the millimeter wave band is 200 times that of a conventional cellular system. Millimeter-wave wireless networks use narrow-beam directional communications and may support data rates of several gigabits. In principle, a beam training mechanism including initial beam alignment and subsequent beam tracking may ensure that a Base Station (BS) beam and a UE beam are aligned for data communication. In Downlink (DL) based Beam Management (BM), the BS side provides the UE with an opportunity to measure beamformed channels of different combinations of BS and UE beams. Similarly, in an Uplink (UL) based BM, the UE side provides the BS with an opportunity to measure beamformed channels for different combinations of UE beams and BS beams.

Two signals transmitted from the same antenna and the same beam experience the same radio channel. If two signals transmitted from different antennas or beams encounter a radio channel with common performance, the two signals are referred to as being spatially quasi co-located (QCLed). In 5G NR, each BS beam broadcasts a minimum amount of cell-specific (cell-specific) and beam-specific (beam-specific) information through a synchronization signal (synchronization signal, SS) block (SSB). In addition, the network signals spatial relationships between SSBs and other reference signals (REFERENCE SIGNAL, RS) to the UE to indicate QCL types for uplink channels. The network may indicate the target spatial relationship to the UE to change QCL type through radio resource control (radio resource control, RRC) configuration, medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) activation, downlink control information (downlink control information, DCI) indication.

Accordingly, solutions are sought to enhance spatial relationship switching, e.g., how to effectively switch active spatial relationships to new spatial relationships.

Disclosure of Invention

An embodiment of the present invention provides a spatial relationship switching method, including: receiving, by a user equipment, a spatial relationship configuration in a new radio network to switch an uplink channel to a target spatial relationship, wherein the spatial relationship configuration indicates that spatial filters of the uplink channel are quasi co-sited with spatial filters of one or more downlink reference signals; determining whether the target spatial relationship is known or unknown according to a predefined condition list; and when the target spatial relationship is known, directly switching to the target spatial relationship; when the target spatial relationship is unknown, spatial filter training is performed on co-located downlink reference signals.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a user equipment, including circuitry for: receiving a spatial relationship configuration in a new radio network to switch an uplink channel to a target spatial relationship, wherein the spatial relationship configuration indicates that spatial filters of the uplink channel are quasi co-sited with spatial filters of one or more downlink reference signals; determining whether the target spatial relationship is known or unknown according to a predefined condition list; and when the target spatial relationship is known, directly switching to the target spatial relationship; when the target spatial relationship is unknown, spatial filter training is performed on co-located downlink reference signals.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the steps of the side link transmission method set forth in the present invention.

By utilizing the invention, the space relation switching can be better performed.

Drawings

Various embodiments of the present invention, as set forth by way of example, will be described in detail with reference to the following drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like elements, and in which:

fig. 1 is a system diagram of an NR beamforming wireless system with spatial relationship switching according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a simplified block diagram of a base station and user equipment according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a definition example of the spatial relationship quasi-synchronization source RS.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a spatial relationship handover procedure when configured uplink target spatial relationship is quasi co-located to DL RSs according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is an exemplary diagram of a spatial relationship handoff procedure when a configured uplink spatial relationship is quasi co-located to an SRS, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is an exemplary diagram of PUCCH spatial relationship switching according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is an exemplary schematic diagram of PUSCH spatial relationship switching according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is an exemplary diagram of SRS spatial relationship switching according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart of a method of performing spatial relationship switching according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Certain terms are used throughout the description and the following claims to refer to particular components. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, manufacturers may refer to a component by different names. This invention is not intended to distinguish between components that differ in name but not function. In the following description and claims, the terms "include" and "comprise" are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean "include, but not limited to. Also, the term "coupled" is intended to mean an indirect or direct electrical connection. Thus, if one device couples to another device, that connection may be through a direct electrical connection, or through an indirect electrical connection via other devices and connections. The making and using of the embodiments of the present invention are discussed in detail below. However, it is to be understood that the embodiments may be practiced in a variety of specific environments. The particular embodiments discussed are illustrative only and are not limiting of the invention. The invention also describes some variants of the embodiments. Like reference numerals are used to designate like elements throughout the various figures and illustrative embodiments.

The following description is of a preferred implementation of the invention, which is provided for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention and should not be taken in a limiting sense. Note that the 3GPP specifications described in the present invention are for teaching the spirit of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Reference will now be made in detail to some embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings

Fig. 1 is a system diagram of an NR beamforming wireless system 100 with spatial relationship switching according to an embodiment of the present invention. The beamformed millimeter wave mobile communication network 100 includes a BS 101 and a UE 102. Millimeter wave cellular networks employ directional communications with beamformed transmissions that can support data rates up to several gigabytes. Directional communication is achieved by digital and/or analog beamforming in which multiple antenna elements are applied with multiple sets of beamforming weights to form multiple beams. In the example shown in fig. 1, BS 101 is directionally configured with multiple cells, and each cell is covered by a set of TX/RX beams. For example, for uplink transmission, cell 103 is covered by a set of five BS RX beams rx#1, rx#2, rx#3, rx#4, and rx#5. The set of BS RX beams rx#1-rx#5 covers the entire service area of cell 103. Similarly, the UE 102 may also apply beamforming to form multiple UE TX beams, such as TX#1-TX#5. For beamformed access, both ends of the link need to know which beamformers (beamformer) to use, e.g., a serving Beam Pair Link (BPL) 130 for uplink communication between BS 101 (using RX # 3) and UE 102 (using TX # 1). BS 101 may also be referred to as an Access Point (AP), an access terminal, a node B, eNodeB, eNB, gNodeB, gNB, or other terminology used in the art. The UE 102 may be a mobile phone, a laptop, a device carried in a vehicle, an internet of things (Internet of Things, ioT) device, or the like.

In 5G NR, each BS control beam broadcasts a minimum amount of cell-specific and beam-specific information over SSB. In addition, the network transmits a spatial relationship to the UE to indicate a QCL Type (QCL-Type) between the uplink channel resources and the reference signal. The uplink channels include a physical uplink control channel (physical uplink control channel, PUCCH) and a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) SHARED CHANNEL. Two spatial relationships may be defined. The first { QCL-TypeA, QCL-TypeB, QCL-TypeC } is related to channel statistics. The second { QCL-TypeD } is related to the spatial TX parameter, which is related to FR2 only. The spatial relationship information indicates spatial filters (e.g., TX beams) that the UE will use for corresponding PUCCH, PUSCH, or Sounding REFERENCE SIGNAL (SRS) transmissions. The network may indicate the target spatial relationship to the UE to alter the QCL type through RRC configuration, MAC-CE activation, and DCI indication.

As shown in fig. 1, spatial relationship information, such as spatial relationship between spatial TX filters of dedicated uplink resources and spatial filters of reference signal resources, may be indicated by RRC signaling or rrc+mac CE. In an example, a spatial relationship list (SpatialRelationInfoList) is configured in a dedicated PUCCH resource configuration by RRC signaling, which contains one or more PUCCH-SpatialRelationInfo information elements (information element, IE). Each PUCCH-SpatialRelationInfo IE may include an SSB resource indicator (SSB resource indicator, SSBRI), a channel state information reference signal (CHANNEL STATE information REFERENCE SIGNAL, CSI-RS) resource indicator (CSI-RS resource indicator, CRI), or SRS resource indicator (SRS resource indicator, SRI) to indicate a spatial filter (e.g., a UE TX beam) to be used by a UE associated with a corresponding PUCCH transmission. When the number of PUCCH-SpatialRelationInfo IE in SpatialRelationInfoList is greater than one, then the MAC CE is used to point to one of PUCCH-SpatialRelationInfo IE to indicate spatial relationship information for dedicated PUCCH resources. In the example shown in fig. 1, spatialRelationInfoList 110 contains up to four PUCCHs-SpatialRelationInfo IE, including ssb#1, csi#3, csi#5, and srs#4. The MAC CE 120 includes a four-bit bitmap and a PUCCH resource ID for PUCCH spatial relationship activation, the second bit of the bitmap having a value of 1, indicating that the UE 102 can infer the spatial relationship between the spatial filter for CSI #3 and the spatial filter for UE PUCCH transmission on the dedicated PUCCH resource indicated by the PUCCH resource ID.

Fig. 1 further illustrates an exemplary example of spatial relationship switching when the spatial relationship is configured to be quasi co-located with DL RS or UL SRS. Wherein the term "quasi co-located" may also be referred to as associated. First, the network configures the current spatial relationship, requesting the UE to transmit a signal using TX #1 (active spatial filter). The network receives the transmission signal (e.g., BPL 130) using RX # 3. After a period of time, the network detects that the UE using tx#3 is better than the UE using tx#1. Subsequently, the network configures a new spatial relationship to request the UE to switch its TX beam to TX #3 (target spatial filter). The network may employ its RX #1 to receive signals (e.g., BPL 140) from UEs. The new target spatial relationship is configured to be quasi co-located with the DL RS or UL SRS. The network may provide the spatial relationship information through RRC signaling, MAC CE activation, or DCI indication.

In one example, a method of performing spatial relationship switching in an NR system is presented as indicated at 140. In one embodiment, the configured spatial relationship is quasi co-located with the source (source of DL RS or source DL RS) of DL RS (e.g., SSB or CSI-RS) (step 1). In such quasi co-sited relationships, the active spatial relationship switching conditions should distinguish between known and unknown cases (step 2). In a known case, when the UE receives a spatial relationship configuration, the UE parses the configuration and performs fine (fine) timing tracking on the newly configured quasi co-located RSs. Thereafter, the UE switches its spatial relationship to a new configuration. In an unknown case, in addition to the above procedure, the UE may perform layer 1 (L1) RSRP measurement after the UE parses the spatial relationship configuration and before fine timing tracking. In another embodiment, the configured spatial relationship may be quasi co-located with a root source of UL SRS (step 1). In such quasi co-sited relationships, the active spatial relationship switching conditions do not need to distinguish between known and unknown cases (step 2). When the UE receives the spatial relationship configuration, the UE parses the configuration and switches the spatial relationship based on the configured SRS index.

The above spatial relationship switching may be applied to PUSCH, PUCCH, and SRS transmissions (step 3). In PUCCH, MAC-based spatial relationship switching should be defined. In PUSCH, spatial relationship activation should follow only the relevant PUCCH or SRS spatial relationship switching procedure. In the periodic SRS, RRC-based spatial relationship handover should be defined. In semi-static SRS, MAC-based spatial relationship handover should be defined. In aperiodic SRS, DCI-based spatial relationship switches should be defined. Aperiodic SRS should always be associated with a known spatial relationship.

Fig. 2 is a simplified block diagram of a base station and user equipment according to an embodiment of the present invention. BS 201 has an antenna array 211, antenna array 211 having a plurality of antenna elements for transmitting and receiving radio signals. One or more RF transceiver modules 212 are coupled to the antenna array, receive RF signals from the antenna 211, convert them to baseband signals, and send them to the processor 213. The RF transceiver 212 also converts the baseband signal from the processor 213 into an RF signal and transmits to the antenna 211. The processor 213 processes the received baseband signal and invokes different functional modules to perform functions in the BS 201. Memory 214 stores program instructions and data 215 to control the operation of BS 201. BS 201 also includes a plurality of functional modules and circuits to perform different tasks according to embodiments of the invention.

Similarly, UE 202 has an antenna 231 that transmits and receives radio signals. An RF transceiver module 232 coupled to the antenna receives the RF signal from the antenna 231, converts it to a baseband signal, and transmits it to the processor 233. The RF transceiver 232 also converts the baseband signal received from the processor 233 into an RF signal and transmits to the antenna 231. The processor 233 processes the received baseband signals and invokes different functional modules to perform functions in the UE 202. Memory 234 stores program instructions and data 235 to control the operation of UE 202. The UE 202 also includes a number of functional modules and circuitry to perform different tasks according to embodiments of the invention.

The functional modules and circuits may be implemented and configured in hardware, firmware, software, and any combination thereof. For example, BS 201 includes beam management module 220, beam management module 220 further including beam forming circuitry 221, beam monitor 222, configuration and scheduling circuitry 223, and beam configuration and handoff processing circuitry 224. The beamforming circuit 221 may be part of an RF chain that applies various beamforming weights to the plurality of antenna elements of the antenna 211, thereby forming various beams. The beam monitor 222 monitors received radio signals and performs measurements of the radio signals on the individual beams. Configuration and scheduling circuitry 223 schedules uplink transmissions for the UE and configures radio resources for the UE including spatial relationship information and handovers for uplink transmissions. The beam configuration and switching processing circuit 224 processes the spatial relationship switching process.

Similarly, UE 202 includes a beam management module 240, beam management module 240 further including control and configuration circuitry 241, beam forming circuitry 242, beam measurement circuitry 243, measurement reporting circuitry 244, and spatial relationship switching processing circuitry 245. The control and configuration circuit 241 receives configuration information from the serving BS via RRC signaling and/or MAC CE and/or PDCCH DCI. The configuration information may include uplink resources and spatial relationship information. Beamforming circuitry 242 may be part of the RF chain that applies various beamforming weights to the plurality of antenna elements of antenna 231 to form individual beams based on UL control beam indications of the network. The beam measurement circuit 243 performs L1 RSRP measurement on the configured measurement object. The measurement reporting circuit 244 reports the measurement results. The spatial relationship switch processing circuit 245 processes the spatial relationship switch process and determines whether to perform beam scanning and L1 measurement according to whether the configured spatial relationship is known or unknown.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a definition example of the spatial relationship quasi-synchronization source RS. In fig. 3 (a), the PUSCH channel 310 is configured in a spatial relationship quasi co-located with the SRS index #0 320, and the SRS #0 320 is configured quasi co-located with the DL SSB #0 330. In this way, the quasi co-sited spatial relationship of the PUSCH 310 is derived from DL RS, such as ssb#0 330. Wherein the DL RS may be SRS or CSI-RS. In fig. 3 (b), the PUSCH channel 340 is allocated with a spatial relationship quasi co-located with the SRS index #0 350, and the SRS #0 350 is not allocated with another quasi co-located relationship. In general, such SRS may be configured as "beam management". As such, the quasi co-sited spatial relationship of PUSCH channel 340 is derived from UL SRS, such as SRS #0 350.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a spatial relationship handover procedure when configured uplink target spatial relationship is quasi co-located to DL RSs according to an embodiment of the present invention. When the quasi co-sited source is a DL RS (e.g., SSB or CSI-RS), it is necessary to define known or unknown conditions for the configured target spatial relationship for spatial relationship switching. The configured target spatial relationship is known if the following conditions are met: 1) Spatial relationship switching is within X s of the last transmission of beam reports or beam measurements for RSs quasi co-located by the target spatial relationship, e.g., x=1.28 s; 2) The UE sends at least one measurement report of RS quasi co-located aiming at the target space relation in advance; 3) During a spatial relationship handoff, the spatial relationship remains in a detectable state, e.g., the SNR of the quasi-co-sited RS and the source quasi-co-sited SSB/CSI-RS are greater than a threshold (e.g., -3 dB) throughout the spatial relationship handoff; 4) The signal quality of the RS for which the target spatial relationship is configured to be quasi co-located is better than a threshold, e.g., SNR is greater than a threshold, e.g., -3dB. Otherwise, the configured target spatial relationship is unknown.

In the example of fig. 4, in step 410, the UE receives SpatialRelationInfoList and optional measurement objects (measurement object, MO) from a serving BS in the NR network. In step 420, the UE performs L1-RSRP measurement and reporting based on the MO. If the configured spatial relationship is known, when the network receives a measurement report for the UE, it may configure the UE to switch to the new spatial relationship. When the UE receives the spatial relationship switch command, the UE need only decode the command and optionally perform a single fine timing tracking. The UE will then complete the active spatial relationship handover, e.g. uplink channel transmission using the new spatial relationship. Otherwise, if the configured spatial relationship is unknown, the network may configure the UE to switch to the new spatial relationship without any measurement information. When the UE receives a spatial relationship handover command, it needs to decode the command. Thereafter, the UE performs RX beam scanning and L1-RSRP measurements to find the best RX beam, and then performs one accurate timing tracking. The UE will then complete the active spatial relationship handover, e.g. uplink channel transmission using the new spatial relationship.

Accordingly, in step 430, the UE receives a spatial relationship configuration from the network to switch to a new spatial relationship. In step 440, the UE decodes the spatial relationship configuration. If the spatial relationship is known, the UE skips step 450 and optionally performs a single timing tracking in step 460. In step 470, the ue completes the spatial relationship switching procedure and switches to the new spatial relationship. Otherwise, if the spatial relationship is unknown, the UE performs L1-RSRP measurement in step 450. In step 460, the ue optionally performs a single timing tracking. In step 470, the UE completes the spatial relationship switching procedure and switches to the new spatial relationship. Note that when the spatial relationship is unknown, the UE should perform L1-RSRP measurements (RX beam scanning) to train the downlink spatial filter before transmitting the uplink signal using the same spatial transmission filter. According to an embodiment, spatial filter training may select the best spatial filter for the configured quasi-co-located DL RSs. During the training phase, the UE has only previous spatial relationship information (spatial relationship information that the UE employed prior to receiving the handover command) and this information is also known to the network. Thus, the UE should be allowed to transmit signals using the previous spatial transmission filter, but the signal quality cannot be guaranteed until the UE completes the active spatial relationship switching process.

Fig. 5 is an exemplary diagram of a spatial relationship handoff procedure when a configured uplink spatial relationship is quasi co-located to an SRS, according to an embodiment of the present invention. After some quasi-co-sited links are made, the uplink spatial relationship may be quasi-co-sited to the SRS, which may be configured as "beam management" in general. In this case, the UE does not need any additional beam scanning procedure. Therefore, when the uplink spatial relationship is quasi co-located to the SRS, the process does not distinguish between the known condition and the unknown condition. In step 510, the network configures a list of spatial relationships with the UE. In step 520, the network configures the UE directly with the new spatial relationship with SRS index. In step 530, the UE parses the spatial relationship configuration, e.g., quasi co-sited to uplink SRS index. In step 540, the UE adopts the same beam as the uplink SRS.

Fig. 6 is an exemplary diagram of PUCCH spatial relationship switching according to an embodiment of the present invention. In step 610, the UE receives (e.g., by RRC signaling) a spatial relationship configuration for the uplink control channel PUCCH, which includes up to 8 spatial relationships. In step 620, one spatial relationship is activated for PUCCH via MAC CE, which is an active spatial relationship configuration based on MAC. In step 630, the UE transmits PUCCH using the same spatial filter as the reception beam of DL RS (SSB or CSI-RS) (if the UE supports beamCorrespondence capabilities, e.g., configured as 1) or the transmission beam of UL SRS. As previously shown in fig. 4, when the active spatial relationship is configured to switch to DL RS, the UE requirements will be different for the known spatial relationship and the unknown spatial relationship. On the other hand, when the active spatial relationship is configured to switch to UL SRS, the only consideration is MAC CE parsing time.

Fig. 7 is an exemplary schematic diagram of PUSCH spatial relationship switching according to an embodiment of the present invention. From the received DCI command (DCI format 0_0 or 0_1), it can be clarified that the PUSCH spatial relationship follows the PUCCH or SRS spatial relationship. As shown in fig. 7 (a), when DCI format 0_0 is received, PUSCH always follows the same spatial transmission filter as PUCCH. In step 710, the ue receives DCI format 0_0 activation of PUSCH with minimum ID within active UL BWP of the cell, which is based on the active spatial relationship configuration of DCI. In step 720, as activated by DCI format 0_0, the UE transmits PUCCH using the same spatial filter as the reception beam of DL RS (SSB or CSI-RS) (if the UE supports beamCorrespondence capabilities, e.g. configured as 1) or the transmission beam of UL SRS.

As shown in fig. 7 (b), when DCI format 0_1 is configured, the UE will transmit PUSCH using the same antenna port as the SRS port in the SRS resource indicated by the SRI. In step 730, the UE receives DCI format 0_1 activation for PUSCH, where the indicated SRS in slot n is associated with the latest transmission of SRI-identified SRS resources configured based on the active spatial relationship of the DCI. In step 740, as activated by DCI format 0_1, the UE transmits PUSCH using the same antenna ports as SRS ports in SRS resources indicated by the SRI. PUSCH spatial relationship activation follows the relevant PUCCH or SRS spatial relationship switching procedure.

Fig. 8 is an exemplary diagram of SRS spatial relationship switching according to an embodiment of the present invention. The SRS resources may be periodic, semi-static, or aperiodic. As shown in fig. 8 (a), in step 810, a spatial relationship list for periodic SRS may be configured (e.g., by RRC signaling). In step 820, the UE transmits periodic SRS with a target spatial relationship. If the SRS is associated with another uplink SRS, the UE will directly use the same beam for this uplink SRS without requiring additional RX beam scan time. If the SRS is associated with a DL RS, the active spatial relationship switch should distinguish between known and unknown conditions.

As shown in fig. 8 (b), in step 830, a spatial relationship list for the semi-static SRS may be configured (e.g., by RRC signaling). In step 840, the semi-static SRS is activated by the MAC-CE. If the SRS is associated with another UL SRS, the UE will directly use the same beam for this uplink SRS. The UE does not need additional Rx beam scanning time. When the network configures semi-static SRS transmission, if SRS is associated with DL RS, the active spatial relationship switch should distinguish between known and unknown conditions. In step 850, the UE transmits a static SRS through the target spatial relationship.

As shown in fig. 8 (c), in step 860, a spatial relationship list for the aperiodic SRS may be configured (e.g., through RRC signaling). In step 870, triggering/activation is triggered/activated by the DCI command. For aperiodic SRS, it can be generally considered as an emergency sounding signal behavior. This means that the network does not need additional beam training time, but rather needs to acquire these probe information as soon as possible. The time interval between DCI commands and aperiodic SRS transmission is very short. Thus, aperiodic SRS should always be associated with a known spatial relationship. In step 880, the ue transmits the aperiodic SRS through the target spatial relationship.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart of a method of performing spatial relationship switching according to an embodiment of the present invention. In step 901, the UE receives a spatial relationship configuration in the NR network to switch the uplink channel to a target spatial relationship. For example, the spatial relationship configuration described above may be sent via RRC or MAC or DCI signaling. The spatial relationship configuration indicates that the spatial filter of the uplink channel is quasi co-located with one or more spatial filters of one or more DL RSs. In step 902, the ue determines whether the target spatial relationship is known or unknown based on a predefined condition list. In step 903, the UE switches to the target spatial relationship when the target spatial relationship is known, otherwise, the UE performs spatial filter training aiming at the co-located DL RS when the target spatial relationship is unknown.

The UE may be configured to implement various embodiments of the present invention. The UE may include a processor, a memory, and an RF module as shown in fig. 2. The UE may optionally include other components such as input and output devices, additional CPUs or signal processing circuitry, and the like. Accordingly, the UE may be able to perform other additional functions, such as executing applications, handling other communication protocols, and the like.

The processes and functions described herein may be implemented as a computer program that, when executed by one or more processors, may cause the one or more processors to perform the respective processes and functions. A computer program may be stored or distributed on a suitable medium, such as an optical storage medium or a solid-state medium supplied together with or as part of other hardware. The computer program may also be distributed in other forms, for example via the internet or other wired or wireless telecommunication systems. For example, a computer program may be obtained and loaded into an apparatus, including by way of a physical medium or distributed system (e.g., including from a server connected to the internet).

The computer program may be accessed from a computer readable (storage) medium providing program instructions for use by or in connection with a computer or any instruction execution system. A computer-readable medium may include any means that stores, communicates, propagates, or transports the computer program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The computer readable medium can be a magnetic, optical, electronic, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system (or apparatus or device) or a propagation medium. The computer-readable medium may include a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium such as a semiconductor or solid state memory, magnetic tape, a removable computer diskette, a read-only memory (ROM), a random-access memory (random access memory, RAM), a magnetic disk, an optical disk, and so forth. The computer-readable non-transitory storage media may include all types of computer-readable media, including magnetic storage media, optical storage media, flash memory media, and solid state storage media.

While the invention has been described with respect to preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the invention thereto. Various modifications, adaptations, and combinations of the features of the embodiments can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

Claims

1. A spatial relationship switching method, comprising:

Receiving, by a user equipment, a spatial relationship configuration in a new radio network to switch an uplink channel to a target spatial relationship, wherein the spatial relationship configuration indicates that spatial filters of the uplink channel are quasi co-sited with spatial filters of one or more downlink reference signals;

Determining whether the target spatial relationship is known or unknown according to a predefined condition list; and

When the target spatial relationship is known, directly switching to the target spatial relationship; when the target spatial relationship is unknown, spatial filter training is performed on co-located downlink reference signals.

2. The spatial relationship switching method according to claim 1, wherein the predefined condition list comprises: whether the spatial relationship configuration is received within a predetermined period of time of a previous transmission of a beam report or beam measurement for a downlink reference signal to which the target spatial relationship is quasi co-located.

3. The spatial relationship switching method according to claim 1, wherein the predefined condition list comprises: whether the user equipment has sent at least one measurement report for downlink reference signals quasi co-located for the target spatial relationship.

4. The spatial relationship switching method according to claim 1, wherein the predefined condition list comprises: whether the target spatial relationship is still detectable during the spatial relationship switching period.

5. The spatial relationship switching method according to claim 1, wherein the predefined condition list comprises: whether the signal quality of the downlink reference signal quasi co-located by the target spatial relationship is better than a predetermined threshold.

6. The spatial relationship handover method according to claim 1, wherein the user equipment performs layer 1 measurements and reporting based on the configured measurement objects such that the target spatial relationship is known prior to receiving the spatial relationship configuration.

7. The spatial relationship switching method of claim 1, wherein the user equipment transmits an uplink signal using a previously selected spatial filter in performing the spatial filter training phase.

8. The spatial relationship handover method according to claim 1, wherein the spatial relationship configuration is provided via activation based on medium access control, downlink control information or radio resource control signaling.

9. The spatial relationship handover method according to claim 1, wherein the uplink channel is used for physical uplink control channel transmission.

10. The spatial relationship handover method according to claim 1, wherein the uplink channel is used for physical uplink shared channel transmission.

11. The spatial relationship handover method according to claim 1, wherein the uplink channel is used for uplink sounding reference signal transmission.

12. A user equipment comprising circuitry to:

Receiving a spatial relationship configuration in a new radio network to switch an uplink channel to a target spatial relationship, wherein the spatial relationship configuration indicates that spatial filters of the uplink channel are quasi co-sited with spatial filters of one or more downlink reference signals;

13. The user equipment according to claim 12, wherein the predefined condition list comprises: whether the spatial relationship configuration is received within a predetermined period of time of a previous transmission of a beam report or beam measurement for a downlink reference signal to which the target spatial relationship is quasi co-located.

14. The user equipment according to claim 12, wherein the predefined condition list comprises: whether the user equipment has sent at least one measurement report for downlink reference signals quasi co-located for the target spatial relationship.

15. The user equipment according to claim 12, wherein the predefined condition list comprises: whether the target spatial relationship is still detectable during the spatial relationship switching period.

16. The user equipment according to claim 12, wherein the predefined condition list comprises: whether the signal quality of the downlink reference signal quasi co-located by the target spatial relationship is better than a predetermined threshold.

17. The user equipment according to claim 12, characterized in that the user equipment performs layer 1 measurements and reporting based on the configured measurement objects such that the target spatial relationship is known before receiving the spatial relationship configuration.

18. The user equipment of claim 12, wherein the user equipment, in performing the spatial filter training phase, transmits an uplink signal using a previously selected spatial filter.

19. The user equipment according to claim 12, characterized in that the spatial relationship configuration is provided via medium access control based activation, downlink control information or radio resource control signaling.

20. The user equipment of claim 12, wherein the uplink channel is used for physical uplink control channel transmission, uplink shared channel transmission, or uplink sounding reference signal transmission.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the steps of the spatial relationship switching method of any one of claims 1-11.