CN117459200A - Method and apparatus for reference signal enhancement - Google Patents

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a method and equipment for enhancing a reference signal, wherein the method comprises the following steps: receiving, by a processor of the device, a minimum broadcast reference signal, RS, from a network node; performing, by the processor, a basic downlink DL measurement based on the minimum broadcast RS; receiving, by the processor, an on-demand RS from the network node or transmitting an on-demand RS to the network node if a trigger condition is satisfied; and performing, by the processor, additional DL or uplink UL measurements based on the on-demand RS. By utilizing the invention, electricity can be saved.

Description

Method and apparatus for reference signal enhancement

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to mobile communications, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for Reference Signal (RS) enhancement in mobile communications.

Background

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.

Power saving (power save) is one of the most important issues in any wireless communication system and is even more important for mobile devices such as smart phones, which may have limited power supply (e.g., battery) capacity compared to other types of devices such as fixed wireless customer premises equipment (customer premise equipment, CPE) or carrier-mounted devices. This problem has become more important in 5G New Radios (NRs) because it has been observed that mobile devices (even Base Stations (BS)) consume power faster when operating in 5G NRs than in other conventional technologies such as long-term evolution (LTE).

In 5G NR, the RS is periodically broadcast by a BS (e.g., gNB). Fig. 1 shows an exemplary scenario 100 of conventional RS transmission in 5G NR. In scenario 100, a User Equipment (UE) (denoted UE1 in fig. 1) is associated with a sparse (spark) traffic application (e.g., instant messaging (instant messaging, IM)), i.e., downlink (DL) data of the UE occurs only infrequently, while when DL data occurs, the BS schedules data scheduling and sends DL data to the UE. Meanwhile, the UE may wake up for DL data reception as well as RS reception when needed. In addition, the UE may enter a low power mode or a sleep mode to save power. In addition to occasional DL data scheduling, the BS must remain broadcasting the RS with a short period such as 20 milliseconds (ms) even when there is no DL data activity and/or the UE is in sleep mode. As such, the sleep of the BS will be interrupted by unnecessary RS transmissions, resulting in unwanted power waste. It is estimated that broadcasting RS transmissions will consume up to 30% of BS power.

Accordingly, a solution is sought to improve the power saving problem.

Disclosure of Invention

The following summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. That is, the following summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts, gist, benefits and advantages of the novel and non-obvious techniques described herein. Selected implementations are further described in the detailed description below. Thus, the following summary is not intended to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter.

It is an object of the present invention to propose a solution or a solution to the above-mentioned problems related to RS enhancements in mobile communications.

In one aspect, a method may involve a processor of a device (e.g., UE) receiving a minimum broadcast RS from a network node. The method may also involve the processor performing basic DL measurements based on a minimum broadcast RS. The method may also involve: in case the trigger condition is met, the processor receives or transmits an on-demand RS from or to the network node. The method may also involve the processor performing additional DL or UL measurements based on the on-demand RS.

In another aspect, a method may involve a processor of a device (e.g., a network node) transmitting a minimum broadcast RS for basic DL measurements to all UEs. The method may also involve: in case the trigger condition is met, the processor transmits or receives an on-demand RS for additional DL or UL measurements to or from the specific UE.

In yet another aspect, an apparatus may include a transceiver to wirelessly communicate with a network node of a wireless network during operation. The device may also include a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver. During operation, the processor may perform operations comprising: receiving a minimum broadcast RS from the network node via the transceiver; performing basic DL measurements via the transceiver based on the minimum broadcast RS; receiving an on-demand RS from the network node or transmitting an on-demand RS to the network node via the transceiver if a trigger condition is met; and performing additional DL or UL measurements via the transceiver based on the on-demand RS.

Notably, while the description provided herein may be in the context of certain radio access technologies, networks, and network topologies, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-advanced Pro, 5G, new Radio (NR), internet of things (IoT) and narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT), industrial internet of things (IIoT), super 5G (B5G), and 6G, the proposed concepts, schemes, and any variations/derivatives thereof may be implemented in, for, and by other types of radio access technologies, networks, and network topologies. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited to the examples described herein.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate an implementation of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. It will be appreciated that the drawings are not necessarily to scale, since some components may be shown out of scale in actual implementations for clarity of illustration of the concepts of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary scenario of conventional RS transmission in 5G NR.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary scenario of novel RS transmission in accordance with an implementation of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary scenario of triggering on-demand RSs according to an implementation of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of an example communication system implemented in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of an example process implemented in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of another example process implemented in accordance with the present invention.

Detailed Description

Detailed embodiments and implementations of the claimed subject matter are disclosed herein. It is to be understood, however, that the disclosed embodiments and implementations are merely illustrative of the claimed subject matter, which may be embodied in various forms. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments and implementations set forth herein. Rather, these exemplary embodiments and implementations are provided so that this description will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the following description, details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presented embodiments and implementations.

SUMMARY

Implementations consistent with the invention relate to various techniques, methods, schemes, and/or solutions related to RS enhancements in mobile communications. According to the invention, a plurality of possible solutions can be implemented individually or jointly. That is, although these possible solutions may be described separately below, two or more of these possible solutions may be implemented in one combination or another.

Fig. 2 illustrates an exemplary scenario 200 of novel RS transmission according to an implementation of the present invention. Graph 210 shows a conventional RS (e.g., SSB) transmission scheme in 5G NR, in which RS/SSB is broadcast in a short period (e.g., 20 ms). In graph 210, broadcast RS/SSB transmissions are performed periodically, regardless of whether the UE is in sleep mode. Graph 220 depicts a novel RS transmission scheme for super 5G (beyond 5G, b 5G) or 6G, where a minimum broadcast RS (minimum broadcast RS) is transmitted with a long period (e.g., 80 ms) and a UE-specific or cell-specific on-demand (on-demand) RS is transmitted when a specific trigger condition is met (e.g., an on-demand RS is transmitted only to high mobility UEs or UEs at the cell edge). In particular, the least broadcast RS is used for basic DL measurements (e.g., initial cell search, time and/or frequency synchronization, beam management, radio link monitoring (radio link monitoring, RLM) and/or radio resource management (radio resource management, RRM)), while the on-demand RS is used for additional DL or Uplink (UL) measurements (e.g., link or beam recovery, handover procedures and/or RRM). The minimum broadcast RS and the on-demand RS may be received by the UE via the same radio or different radios. DL/UL resources of the on-demand RS may be shared between UEs. Notably, a long RS period (e.g., 80 ms) in graph 220 may have a significant gain of 34.3% in BS power saving for sparse traffic (e.g., IM) compared to a short RS period (e.g., 20 ms) in graph 210.

In some implementations, the least broadcast RS may be transmitted with lower power and used for coarse (coarse) time and/or frequency synchronization and measurement, while the on-demand RS may be transmitted with higher power and used for fine (fine) time and/or frequency synchronization and access to the network.

In some implementations, the UE may report capability information to the BS to indicate whether the UE supports on-demand RS, and the BS may configure the UE with a set of time and frequency resources for DL/UL on-demand RS via higher layer (higher layer) signaling based on the capability information of the UE. The BS may configure the trigger conditions for DL/UL on-demand RS to the UE via higher layer signaling. The UE may perform basic DL measurements based on the least broadcast RS. To trigger on-demand RS for additional DL/UL measurements, the following implementation may be considered. In some implementations, when the trigger condition is met, the UE may send a request to the BS to trigger DL/UL on-demand RS (this scenario is hereinafter referred to as request-based triggering of on-demand RS). The request may be sent via a physical uplink control channel (physical uplink control channel, PUCCH), a physical uplink shared channel (physical uplink shared channel, PUSCH), a physical random access channel (physical random access channel, PRACH), or a sequence with periodic resources configured by higher layer signaling. In some implementations, the BS may determine mobility, location, or channel conditions of the UE through sensing, and the BS may instruct the UE accordingly to perform additional DL/UL measurements based on the on-demand RS (this scenario is hereinafter referred to as an indication-based trigger of the on-demand RS). The indication may be included in one of: (1) higher layer signaling, such as system information block (system information block, SIB) or UE-specific radio resource control (radio resource control, RRC) signaling, (2) medium access control (medium access control, MAC) Control Element (CE), and (3) layer 1 (L1) based signaling.

Fig. 3 illustrates an exemplary scenario 300 of triggering on-demand RSs under an implementation in accordance with the present invention. Graph 310 and graph 320 depict different schemes for request-based triggering of on-demand RSs. In graph 310, the UE sends a request 311 to the BS to trigger on-demand RSs, and then receives a response 312 from the BS. After receiving the response 312 (e.g., after a period T1 after receiving the response 312), the UE may receive the on-demand RS and perform additional DL/UL measurements based on the on-demand RS. The time period T1 may be configured by the BS via higher layer signaling or may be defined in a third generation partnership project (3 GPP) Technical Specification (TS). In one example, the response may be sent via L1 signaling (e.g., PDCCH) and may include an on-demand RS resource indication (i.e., which RS resource in the configured set of resources is used) or on-demand RS activation (activation). In one example, the response may be sent via the MAC CE, and may include an on-demand RS resource indication (i.e., which RS resource in the configured set of resources is used) or on-demand RS activation. In one example, the response can be sent via higher layer signaling (e.g., UE-specific RRC signaling), and the response can include a resource configuration of the on-demand RS (in which case a preconfigured set of resources for the on-demand RS is not necessary). In one example, if both BS and UE support two on-demand RS types, namely DL or UL on-demand RS, the response may indicate which on-demand RS type to use. In graph 320, the UE sends a request 321 to the BS to trigger on-demand RS, and after a period T2 following the transmission of the request 321, the UE may receive the on-demand RS (i.e., not wait for a response from the BS) and perform additional DL/UL measurements based on the on-demand RS. The period T2 may be configured by the BS via higher layer signaling or may be defined in the 3GPP TS.

For request-based triggering of on-demand RSs, the trigger conditions may include a "good serving cell quality" criterion and/or a "low mobility" criterion. In particular, the "good serving cell quality" criterion indicates that the signal quality of the serving cell is less than or equal to the first threshold. The signal quality of the serving cell may be determined or estimated based on a reference signal received power (reference signal received power, RSRP), a reference signal received quality (reference signal received quality, RSRQ), a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), or a block error rate (BLER). The "low mobility" criterion indicates that the mobility of the UE is greater than a second threshold. The mobility of the UE may be determined or estimated based on Δrsrp, Δrsrq, Δsnr, or Δsinr. Δrsrp = RSRP reference-RSRP current measurement, where the RSRP reference may be the maximum RSRP within T or the RSRP measured at the start time of T. Δrsrq = RSRQ reference-RSRQ current measurement, where the RSRQ reference may be the maximum RSRQ within T or the RSRQ measured at the start time of T. Δsnr = SNR reference-the currently measured SNR, where the SNR reference may be the maximum SNR within T or the SNR measured at the start time of T. Δsinr = SINR reference-SINR currently measured, where the SINR reference may be the maximum SINR within T or the SINR measured at the start time of T. Note that the above critical parameters may be configured by the network or predefined in the 3GPP TS.

For request-based triggering of on-demand RSs, if no trigger condition is provided to the UE, the UE may send a request to trigger on-demand RSs based on its own evaluation results (e.g., an evaluation of serving cell quality and/or UE mobility). Alternatively, if one or more trigger conditions are provided to the UE, the UE may send a request to trigger on-demand RSs when any, any subset, or all of the configured trigger conditions are met. For indication-based triggering of the on-demand RS, the indication may indicate time and/or frequency resources of the on-demand RS, and/or periodicity of the on-demand RS. In addition, if both BS and UE support two on-demand RS types, i.e., DL or UL on-demand RS, the indication may indicate which on-demand RS type to use.

The minimum broadcast RS may be used by UEs in different states. For example, in RRC idle/inactive mode, the least broadcast RS may be used for initial cell search, or may be used for coarse time/frequency synchronization or RRM measurements, etc.; or in RRC connected mode, may be used for beam management, RLM measurement, RRM measurement, or the like. The signal structure of the minimum broadcast RS may be sequence-based or a mixture of sequence and channel. For example, the minimum broadcast RS may include a primary synchronization signal (primary synchronization signal, PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (secondary synchronization signal, SSS), and an additional synchronization signal (additional synchronization signal, ASS). SSS and ASS may have the same power level. If the ASS employs a sequence-based structure, the ASS may be a sequence, such as another SSS that is time-division multiplexed (TDM-division multiplex) or frequency-division multiplexed (FDM) with the SSS, or another sequence type that is TDM or FDM with the SSS. If the ASS is a channel in a hybrid structure, a simple code may be used for the ASS, e.g., a small block length code (small block length code) or a rate-matching (RM) code. The minimum broadcast RS may include at least one or a group of a cell Identification (ID) and a beam index. To enhance coverage of the minimum broadcast RS, the minimum broadcast RS may be transmitted in a beam scanning (beam scanning) manner or in a repeated manner. In addition, the minimum broadcast RS may be adjusted in the time, frequency, and/or spatial domain. In one example, the minimum broadcast RS may have a long periodicity (e.g., >80 ms), which is adjustable (e.g., <80 ms), if needed (e.g., the BS may determine to change periodicity according to the UE's request). In another example, a minimum broadcast RS may be transmitted in N beams and then adjusted to be transmitted in M beams to save network energy, where M < N. The above adjustment regarding the minimum broadcast RS transmission may be notified to the UE by higher layer signaling (e.g., SIB or UE-specific RRC signaling).

The UE or BS may use the on-demand RS in different states. For example, on-demand RSs may be used in RRC connected mode to assist UEs in bad conditions (e.g., high mobility or low SNR) to facilitate the overall process of link/beam recovery, handover, etc. Alternatively, on-demand RS may be used in RRC idle/inactive mode and transmitted at higher transmission power to assist the UE in fine time/frequency synchronization and access to the network. The signal structure of the on-demand RS may cover a wide band in the frequency domain (e.g., wider than SSB bandwidth in NR). In one example, a larger subcarrier spacing (subcarrier spacing, SCS) may be used to combat inter-carrier interference due to doppler effect (inter-carrier interference). In another example, more measurement resources may be employed for one transmission to achieve better RSRP accuracy. The signal structure of the on-demand RS can cover a short duration in the time domain to shorten the time required for measurement. In one example, the on-demand RS may send once per request, i.e., a burst of RSs. In another example, an on-demand RS can be transmitted with a short period within a duration, and the duration can be configured via RRC signaling.

The on-demand RS may be a type 1 (type-1) on-demand RS, i.e., UL on-demand RS, that is transmitted by the UE for link/beam recovery, handover, and/or UE-centric RRM (i.e., UL RRM). In the case where type-1 on-demand RS is used for link/beam recovery, the on-demand RS may be transmitted to the serving cell for the BS to measure channel/beam quality so that the BS may reconfigure the new beam after the measurement. The type-1 on-demand RS may be transmitted based on a pre-configured occasion (occalation). UL preemption (preemption) can be applied to type 1 on-demand RS transmissions (i.e., on-demand RS transmissions when needed). Type-1 on-demand RS may be a sequence like a sounding reference signal (sounding reference signal, SRS). Alternatively, in the case where type-1 on-demand RS is used for link/beam recovery, the UE may identify/determine the best beam and send a request or indication to cause the BS to change beams. In the case where type-1 on-demand RS is used for handover, the UE may measure and identify/determine the cell with the strongest signal and send a request to the target cell without a conventional handover procedure (e.g., measurement reporting or handover preparation/execution, etc.). In the case where type-1 on-demand RS is used for UL RRM, the UE may send on-demand RS to allow the cell to measure and identify UE-NW signal strength and/or UE location, and based on information sharing between network nodes, the handover procedure may be decided without measurement reporting by the UE.

The on-demand RS may be a type 2 (type-2) on-demand RS, i.e., DL on-demand RS, which is transmitted by the BS for link/beam recovery, handover, and/or RRM. In the case where type-2 on-demand RS is used for link/beam recovery and/or handover, the UE may send a request to the cell to require additional RS, while the BS may send on-demand RS based on the UE's request. The request may explicitly or implicitly indicate the type of UE, e.g. high mobility UE, low SNR UE, etc. In the case where type 2 on-demand RS is used for RRM, the on-demand RS may include at least one or a group of a cell ID and a beam index. In some implementations, the type 2 on-demand RS may be adjusted based on the type/request of the UE or the measurement report of the UE. For example, a set of on-demand RS types with different structures or different SCSs in time, frequency, and spatial domains may be configured using higher layer signaling, and the UE may indicate the desired on-demand RS type via a request to trigger on-demand RS transmission. In some implementations, the type-2 on-demand RS may be non-adjustable, i.e., when triggered, the same format on-demand RS is employed for all UE types.

In view of the above, the present invention proposes a scheme involving RS enhancement with respect to a UE and a BS. According to the scheme of the invention, the UE can receive the least broadcast RS for basic DL measurements and trigger UE-specific or cell-specific on-demand RSs when needed. By applying the scheme of the invention, further power saving can be realized by loosening RS transmission/reception at the UE and the BS, and the performance of radio resource utilization can also be improved.

Illustrative implementation

Fig. 4 illustrates an example communication system 400 having an example device 410 and an example device 420 implemented in accordance with the invention. Each of the devices 410 and 420 may perform various functions to implement the schemes, techniques, processes, and methods described herein in connection with RS enhancements in mobile communications, including the scenarios/schemes described above and the processes 500 and 600 described below.

The device 410 may be part of an electronic device, which may be a UE, such as a portable or mobile device, a wearable device, a wireless communication device, or a computing device. For example, device 410 may be implemented in a smart phone, a smart watch, a personal digital assistant, a digital camera, or a computing device such as a tablet computer, laptop computer, or notebook computer. Device 410 may also be part of a machine type device, which may be an IoT, NB-IoT, or IioT device such as a fixed or stationary device, a home device, a wired communication device, or a computing device. For example, the device 410 may be implemented in a smart thermostat, a smart refrigerator, a smart door lock, a wireless speaker, or a home control center. Alternatively, device 410 may be implemented in the form of one or more integrated-circuit (IC) chips, such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more reduced-instruction-set-computing (RISC) processors, or one or more complex-instruction-set-computing (CISC) processors. Device 410 may include at least a portion of those components shown in fig. 4, such as processor 412. The device 410 may also include one or more other components (e.g., an internal power source, a display device, and/or a user interface device) that are not relevant to the proposed solution of the present invention, and thus, for simplicity and brevity, such components of the device 410 are neither shown in fig. 4 nor described below.

The device 420 may be part of an electronic device, which may be a network node, such as a BS, small cell, router, or gateway. For example, the device 420 may be implemented in an eNB in an LTE, LTE advanced, or LTE advanced Pro network, or in a gNB/TRP in a 5G, NR, ioT, NB-IoT or IIoT network. Alternatively, device 420 may be implemented in the form of one or more IC chips, such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or more RISC or CISC processors. Device 420 may include at least a portion of those components shown in fig. 4, such as processor 422. The device 420 may also include one or more other components (e.g., an internal power source, a display device, and/or a user interface device) that are not relevant to the proposed solution of the present invention, and thus, for simplicity and brevity, such components of the device 420 are neither shown in fig. 4 nor described below.

In an aspect, each of processor 412 and processor 422 may be implemented in the form of one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or more CISC processors. That is, in accordance with the present invention, in some implementations, each of processor 412 and processor 422 may include multiple processors, while in other implementations, a single processor may be included. In another aspect, each of the processors 412 and 422 may be implemented in hardware (and optionally firmware) having electronic components including, but not limited to, one or more transistors, one or more diodes, one or more capacitors, one or more resistors, one or more inductors, one or more memristors, and/or one or more varactors, configured and arranged to achieve a particular objective in accordance with the present invention. In other words, in at least some implementations, each of processor 412 and processor 422 is a special purpose machine specifically designed, set up, and configured to perform certain tasks, including tasks related to RS augmentation in mobile communications according to various implementations of the invention.

In some implementations, the device 410 may also include a transceiver 416 coupled to the processor 412 and capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. In some implementations, the transceiver 416 is capable of wireless communication with different types of wireless networks of different radio access technologies (radio access technology, RATs). In some implementations, the transceiver 416 may be equipped with multiple antenna ports (not shown), e.g., four antenna ports. I.e., transceiver 416 may be equipped with multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communication. In some implementations, the device 420 may also include a transceiver 426 coupled to the processor 422. The transceiver 426 may include a transceiver capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. In some implementations, the transceiver 426 is capable of communicating with different types of UEs of different RATs. In some implementations, the transceiver 426 may be equipped with multiple antenna ports (not shown), e.g., four antenna ports. I.e., transceiver 426 may be equipped with multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas for MIMO wireless communication.

In some implementations, the device 410 may also include a memory 414 coupled to the processor 412 that stores data and is accessible by the processor 412. In some implementations, the device 420 may also include a memory 424 coupled to the processor 422 that stores data and is accessible by the processor 422. Each of the memory 414 and the memory 424 may include some type of random-access memory (RAM), such as Dynamic RAM (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), thyristor RAM (T-RAM), and/or zero-capacitor RAM (Z-RAM). Alternatively or additionally, each of memory 414 and memory 424 may include read-only memory (ROM) types such as mask ROM, programmable ROM, erasable programmable ROM (erasable programmable ROM, EPROM), and/or electrically erasable programmable ROM (electrically erasable programmable ROM, EEPROM). Alternatively or additionally, each of the memory 414 and the memory 424 may include non-volatile random-access memory (NVRAM), such as flash memory, solid-state memory, ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), and/or phase-change memory. Alternatively or additionally, each of the memory 414 and the memory 424 may include a universal integrated circuit card (universal integrated circuit card, UICC).

Each of the devices 410 and 420 may be communication entities capable of communicating with each other using various schemes proposed in accordance with the present invention. For purposes of illustration and not limitation, a description of the capabilities of device 410 as a UE and device 420 as a network node (e.g., BS) is provided below.

Under some proposed schemes for RS enhancements in mobile communications according to the present invention, the processor 412 of the device 410 implemented in or as a UE may receive the minimum broadcast RS from the device 420 implemented in or as a network node via the transceiver 416. The processor 412 may perform basic DL measurements based on the minimum broadcast RS via the transceiver 416. In the event that the trigger condition is met, the processor 412 may receive or transmit an on-demand RS from or to the network node via the transceiver 416. In addition, the processor 412 may perform additional DL/UL measurements based on the on-demand RS via the transceiver 416.

In some implementations, when the UE triggers an on-demand RS, the trigger condition may indicate at least one of: (1) The signal quality of the serving cell is less than or equal to a first threshold, (2) the mobility of the UE is greater than a second threshold.

In some implementations, when the network node triggers the on-demand RS, the network node may determine whether the trigger condition is met based on at least one of: (1) mobility of the UE, (2) location of the UE, and (3) channel conditions of the UE.

In some implementations, the basic DL measurements may be performed for at least one of: (1) initial cell search, (2) time and/or frequency synchronization, (3) beam management, (4) RLM, and (5) RRM.

In some implementations, additional DL/UL measurements may be performed for at least one of: (1) link or beam recovery, (2) handoff procedure, and (3) RRM.

In some implementations, the minimum broadcast RS and the on-demand RS may be received via the same radio of transceiver 416 or different radios. For example, the minimum broadcast RS and the on-demand RS may be received by a single radio UE via its single radio (e.g., a primary radio, such as a high power receiver capable of complex Radio Frequency (RF) signal processing), or by a dual radio UE via the same radio (e.g., a primary radio or a secondary radio, such as a low power receiver capable of simple RF signal processing). Alternatively, the minimum broadcast RS may be received by the dual radio UE via a first radio of the UE, while the on-demand RS may be received via a second radio of the UE.

In some implementations, the processor 412 may also report capability information to the network node via the transceiver 416 to indicate whether the device 410 supports on-demand RS, and receive a configuration of time and frequency resources for the on-demand RS from the network node via the transceiver 416. In addition, the processor 412 may receive a configuration of trigger conditions from the network node via the transceiver 416.

In some implementations, the processor 412 may also send a request to trigger on-demand RS to the network node via the transceiver 416 when the trigger condition is met (i.e., where on-demand RS is triggered by the UE). Alternatively, the processor 412 may also receive an indication to trigger on-demand RS from the network node via the transceiver 416 (i.e., where on-demand RS is triggered by the BS).

In some implementations, each of the minimum broadcast RS and the on-demand RS may include at least one of: (1) cell ID, and (2) beam index.

Illustrative Process

FIG. 5 illustrates an example process 500 implemented in accordance with the invention. Process 500 may represent implementation of some or all of the various proposed aspects of designs, concepts, schemes, systems and methods described above. More particularly, process 500 may represent aspects of the proposed concepts and schemes related to RS enhancements in mobile communications. Process 500 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions as illustrated by one or more of blocks 510 through 540. Although illustrated as discrete blocks, the various blocks of process 500 may be divided into additional blocks, combined into fewer blocks, or deleted depending on the desired implementation. Further, the blocks/sub-blocks of process 500 may be performed in the order shown in FIG. 5, or in a different order. Further, one or more blocks/sub-blocks of process 500 may be performed iteratively. Process 500 may be implemented by device 410 or in device 410, as well as any variation thereof. For purposes of illustration only and not to limit the scope, process 500 is described below in the context of device 410 as a UE. Process 500 may begin at block 510.

At 510, process 500 may involve processor 412 of device 410, either in or implemented as a UE, receiving a minimum broadcast RS from a network node via transceiver 416. Process 500 may proceed from 510 to 520.

At 520, process 500 may involve processor 412 performing basic DL measurements based on the least broadcast RS via transceiver 416. Process 500 may proceed from 520 to 530.

At 530, process 500 may involve processor 412 receiving or transmitting an on-demand RS from or to a network node via transceiver 416 if a trigger condition is met. Process 500 may proceed from 530 to 540.

At 540, process 500 may involve processor 412 performing additional DL/UL measurements via transceiver 416 based on the on-demand RS.

In some implementations, when the UE triggers an on-demand RS, the trigger condition may indicate at least one of: (1) The signal quality of the serving cell is less than or equal to a first threshold, (2) the mobility of the UE is greater than a second threshold.

In some implementations, when the network node triggers the on-demand RS, the network node may determine whether the trigger condition is met based on at least one of: (1) mobility of the UE, (2) location of the UE, and (3) channel conditions of the UE.

In some implementations, the basic DL measurements may be performed for at least one of: (1) initial cell search, (2) time and/or frequency synchronization, (3) beam management, (4) RLM, and (5) RRM.

In some implementations, additional DL/UL measurements may be performed for at least one of: (1) link or beam recovery, (2) handoff procedure, and (3) RRM.

In some implementations, the minimum broadcast RS and the on-demand RS may be received via the same radio of transceiver 416 or different radios.

In some implementations, the process 500 may further include the processor 412 reporting capability information to the network node via the transceiver 416 to indicate whether the device 410 supports on-demand RS, and receiving a configuration of time and frequency resources for the on-demand RS from the network node via the transceiver 416. Additionally, process 500 may involve processor 412 receiving a configuration of trigger conditions from a network node via transceiver 416.

In some implementations, the process 500 may further include the processor 412 sending a request to trigger on-demand RS to the BS via the transceiver 416 when the trigger condition is met (i.e., where on-demand RS is triggered by the UE). Alternatively, process 500 may also include processor 412 receiving an indication from the network node via transceiver 416 to trigger on-demand RS (i.e., where on-demand RS is triggered by the BS).

In some implementations, each of the least broadcast RS and the on-demand RS may include at least one of: (1) cell ID, and (2) beam index.

Fig. 6 illustrates an example process 600 according to an implementation of the disclosure. Process 600 may represent implementation of some or all of the various proposed aspects of designs, concepts, schemes, systems and methods described above. More particularly, process 600 can represent aspects of the proposed concepts and schemes related to RS enhancements in mobile communications. Process 600 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions as illustrated by one or more of blocks 610 and 620. Although illustrated as discrete blocks, the various blocks of process 600 may be divided into additional blocks, combined into fewer blocks, or deleted depending on the desired implementation. Further, the blocks/sub-blocks of process 600 may be performed in the order shown in FIG. 6, or in a different order. Further, one or more blocks/sub-blocks of process 600 may be performed iteratively. Process 600 may be implemented by device 420 or in device 420, as well as any variations thereof. For illustrative purposes only and without limiting the scope, process 600 is described below in the context of device 420 as a network node (e.g., BS). Process 600 may begin at block 610.

At 610, the process 600 may involve the processor 422 of the device 420 implemented in or as a network node transmitting a minimum broadcast RS for basic DL measurements to all UEs via the transceiver 426. Process 600 may proceed from 610 to 620.

At 620, process 600 may involve processor 422 transmitting or receiving an on-demand RS from a particular UE via transceiver 426 for additional DL/UL measurements if a trigger condition is met.

In some implementations, the process 600 may further involve the processor 422 determining whether the trigger condition is met based on at least one of: (1) mobility of a particular UE, (2) location of a particular UE, and (3) channel conditions of a particular UE.

In some implementations, the basic DL measurements may be performed for at least one of: (1) initial cell search, (2) time and/or frequency synchronization, (3) beam management, (4) RLM, and (5) RRM.

In some implementations, additional DL/UL measurements may be performed for at least one of: (1) link or beam recovery, (2) handoff procedure, and (3) RRM.

In some implementations, the process 600 may further include the processor 422 receiving capability information from the particular UE via the transceiver 426 indicating whether the particular UE supports on-demand RS, and transmitting a configuration of time and frequency resources for the on-demand RS to the particular UE via the transceiver 426. In addition, process 600 may include processor 422 transmitting a configuration of trigger conditions to a particular UE via transceiver 426.

In some implementations, the process 600 may further include the processor 422 receiving a request to trigger an on-demand RS from a particular UE via the transceiver 426. Alternatively, the process 600 may further include the processor 422 sending an indication to trigger on-demand RS to a particular UE via the transceiver 426 if the trigger condition is met.

In some implementations, each of the least broadcast RS and the on-demand RS may include at least one of: (1) cell ID, and (2) beam index.

Additional annotations

The subject matter described in this specification sometimes illustrates different components included in, or connected with, different other components. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures are merely examples, and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively "associated" such that the desired functionality is achieved. Thus, any two components in the present invention that are combined to achieve a particular functionality can be seen as "associated with" each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components so associated can also be viewed as being "operably connected," or "operably coupled," to each other to achieve the desired functionality, and any two components capable of being so associated can also be viewed as being "operably couplable," to each other to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples of operationally couplable include, but are not limited to, physically matable and/or physically interactable components and/or wirelessly interactable components and/or logically interactable components.

Furthermore, with respect to virtually any plural and/or singular term used herein, those having skill in the art may translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as appropriate for the context and/or application. For clarity, various singular/plural reciprocity may be explicitly set forth in this disclosure.

Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that, in general, terms used in the present invention, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are often intended as "open" terms, e.g., the term "including" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to," the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least," the term "comprising" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to," and so forth. Those skilled in the art will also understand that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, to facilitate understanding, the appended claims may include use of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more". However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles "a" or "an" limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to implementations containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and indefinite articles such as "a" or "an", e.g., "a" and/or "an" should be interpreted to mean "at least one" or "one or more", as well as the use of the indefinite articles recited in the claim. Furthermore, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should be interpreted to mean at least the recited number, and the bare recitation of "two recitations," without other modifiers, for example, means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations. Further, where a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B and C, etc." is used, such a construction is generally intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B and C" would include but not be limited to systems having A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B and C together, etc.). Where a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B or C, etc." is used, such a construction is generally intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B or C" would include but not be limited to systems having a alone, B alone, C alone, a and B together, a and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B and C together, etc.). Those skilled in the art will also understand that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative items, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the items, either of the items, or both. For example, the phrase "a or B" will be understood to include the possibilities of "a" or "B" or "a and B".

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that various embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, and that various modifications may be made without deviating from the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the various embodiments disclosed herein are not meant to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.

Claims (21)

1. A method of reference signal enhancement, comprising:

receiving, by a processor of the device, a minimum broadcast reference signal, RS, from a network node;

performing, by the processor, a basic downlink DL measurement based on the minimum broadcast RS;

receiving, by the processor, an on-demand RS from the network node or transmitting the on-demand RS to the network node if a trigger condition is satisfied; and

additional DL or uplink UL measurements are performed by the processor based on the on-demand RS.

2. The method of reference signal enhancement according to claim 1, wherein the trigger condition indicates at least one of:

the signal quality of the serving cell is less than or equal to a first threshold; and

the mobility of the device is greater than a second threshold.

3. The method of reference signal enhancement of claim 1, wherein the basic DL measurements are performed for at least one of:

Initial cell search;

time or frequency synchronization;

beam management;

radio link monitoring, RLM; and

the radio resource management RRM is configured to,

wherein the additional DL or UL measurements are performed for at least one of:

link or beam recovery;

switching the process; and

RRM。

4. the method of reference signal enhancement according to claim 1, wherein the minimum broadcast RS is received via a first radio of the device and the on-demand RS is received via a second radio of the device.

5. The method of reference signal enhancement according to claim 1, further comprising:

reporting, by the processor, capability information to the network node to indicate whether the device supports the on-demand RS;

receiving, by the processor, a configuration of time and frequency resources for the on-demand RS from the network node; and

a configuration of the trigger condition is received by the processor from the network node.

6. The method of reference signal enhancement according to claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, by the processor, a request to trigger the on-demand RS to the network node if the trigger condition is satisfied; or alternatively

An indication is received by the processor from the network node to trigger the on-demand RS.

7. The method of reference signal enhancement according to claim 1, wherein each of the minimum broadcast RS and the on-demand RS comprises at least one of:

a cell identity, ID; and

beam index.

8. A method of reference signal enhancement, comprising:

transmitting, by a processor of the device, a minimum broadcast reference signal, RS, to all user equipments, UEs, for basic downlink, DL, measurements; and

in case a trigger condition is met, an on-demand RS is sent to or received from a specific UE by the processor for additional DL or uplink UL measurements.

9. The method of reference signal enhancement according to claim 8, further comprising:

determining, by the processor, whether the trigger condition is satisfied based on at least one of:

mobility of the particular UE;

the location of the particular UE; and

channel conditions for the particular UE.

10. The method of reference signal enhancement according to claim 8, wherein the basic DL measurements are performed for at least one of:

Initial cell search;

time or frequency synchronization;

beam management;

radio link monitoring, RLM; and

the radio resource management RRM is configured to,

wherein the additional DL or UL measurements are performed for at least one of:

link or beam recovery;

switching the process; and

RRM。

11. the method of reference signal enhancement according to claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, by the processor, capability information from the particular UE indicating whether the particular UE supports the on-demand RS;

transmitting, by the processor, a configuration of time and frequency resources for the on-demand RS to the particular UE; and

the configuration of the trigger condition is sent by the processor to the particular UE.

12. The method of reference signal enhancement according to claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, by the processor, a request from the particular UE to trigger the on-demand RS; or alternatively

And sending, by the processor, an indication to trigger the on-demand RS to the particular UE if the trigger condition is satisfied.

13. The method of reference signal enhancement according to claim 8, wherein each of the minimum broadcast RS and the on-demand RS comprises at least one of:

A cell identity, ID; and

beam index.

14. An apparatus for reference signal enhancement, comprising:

a transceiver in wireless communication with a network node of a wireless network during operation; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver such that during operation, the processor performs the following operations:

receiving a minimum broadcast reference signal, RS, from the network node via the transceiver;

performing, via the transceiver, a basic downlink DL measurement based on the minimum broadcast RS;

receiving an on-demand RS from the network node or transmitting the on-demand RS to the network node via the transceiver if a trigger condition is met; and

additional DL or uplink UL measurements are performed via the transceiver based on the on-demand RS.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the trigger condition indicates at least one of:

the signal quality of the serving cell is less than or equal to a first threshold; and

the mobility of the device is greater than a second threshold.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the basic DL measurements are performed for at least one of:

Initial cell search;

time or frequency synchronization;

beam management;

radio link monitoring, RLM; and

the radio resource management RRM is configured to,

wherein the additional DL or UL measurements are performed for at least one of:

link or beam recovery;

switching the process; and

RRM。

17. the apparatus of claim 14, wherein the minimum broadcast RS is received via a first radio of the transceiver and the on-demand RS is received via a second radio of the transceiver.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein during operation the processor further performs the following:

reporting capability information to the network node via the transceiver to indicate whether the device supports the on-demand RS;

receiving, via the transceiver, a configuration of time and frequency resources of the on-demand RS from the network node; and

a configuration of the trigger condition is received from the network node via the transceiver.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein during operation the processor further performs the following:

transmitting a request to trigger the on-demand RS to the network node via the transceiver if the trigger condition is met; or alternatively

An indication is received from the network node via the transceiver to trigger the on-demand RS.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein each of the minimum broadcast RS and the on-demand RS comprises at least one of:

a cell identity, ID; and

beam index.

21. A storage medium storing a program which, when executed, causes an apparatus to perform the steps of the method of reference signal enhancement of any one of claims 1-7.