CN117642984A

CN117642984A - Techniques for beam selection based on measurement periodicity

Info

Publication number: CN117642984A
Application number: CN202280050123.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 朱隽; C·S·瓦兹; M·V·拉加特; R·N·沙拉; A·Y·戈罗霍夫; B·C·巴尼斯特; Y·吴
Original assignee: Qualcomm Inc
Current assignee: Qualcomm Inc
Priority date: 2021-07-28
Filing date: 2022-07-26
Publication date: 2024-03-01

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described in which a User Equipment (UE) may perform beam measurements on one or more beam subsets selected to provide enhanced beam switch determination. The UE may identify one or more prioritized beams and may measure the prioritized beams with the same periodicity as the measurement of the serving beam. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may identify a set of all layer-one beams (e.g., a maximum level beam or a top level beam) for the measurement according to the periodic interval based on the measured mobility being less than a threshold value. The periodic interval may provide that one beam per layer may be measured at a cadence of one beam per measurement occasion in order to provide measurement diversity.

Description

Techniques for beam selection based on measurement periodicity

Cross reference

This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No.63/226,537 entitled "TECHNIQUES FOR BEAM SELECTION BASED ON MEASUREMENT PERIODICITIES" filed by ZHU et al at day 7, 28 of 2021, and U.S. patent application No.17/872,302 entitled "ECHNIQUES FOR BEAM SELECTION BASED ON MEASUREMENT PERIODICITIES" filed by ZHU et al at day 7, 25 of 2022; each of the above applications is assigned to the assignee of the present application.

Technical Field

The following relates to wireless communications, including techniques for beam selection based on measurement periodicity.

Background

Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and so on. These systems may be able to support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multiple access systems include fourth generation (4G) systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE-advanced (LTE-a) systems, or LTE-a Pro systems, and fifth generation (5G) systems, which may be referred to as New Radio (NR) systems. These systems may employ techniques such as: code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), or discrete fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM). A wireless multiple-access communication system may include one or more base stations or one or more network access nodes, each of which simultaneously support communication for multiple communication devices, which may be otherwise referred to as User Equipment (UE).

Some wireless systems may support beamformed communications in which directional beams may be used between a UE and a base station. In some cases, wireless systems may experience interference or blockage with respect to beams and beam measurements for various reasons, which may result in poor system performance and poor user experience.

Disclosure of Invention

The described technology relates to improved methods, systems, devices, and apparatus supporting techniques for beam selection based on measurement periodicity. Aspects of the present disclosure provide for efficient beam selection and measurement in relatively high or low mobility scenarios. In some high mobility cases, multiple prioritized beams may be scheduled for measurement with the same periodicity as the measurement of the serving beam. In some cases, up to a maximum number (N) of beams having measured signal strengths within a range of the serving beam signal strengths (e.g., within X dB) are scheduled for measurement with the same periodicity as the serving beam. Beam switching may be triggered based on the measured channel quality of the beam exceeding the serving beam (e.g., by a predetermined margin over the serving beam). In some low mobility scenarios, the set of layer one beams (or the maximum level beam) may be measured according to periodic intervals based on the measured mobility being less than a threshold mobility value. In some cases, one beam per layer may be measured at a cadence of one beam per measurement occasion, which provides a lower sampling rate than prioritized beams based on codebook hierarchy, but allows for the identification of beam blocking events at the prioritized beams.

A method for wireless communication at a User Equipment (UE) is described. The method may include: measuring a first channel characteristic of a serving beam according to a first periodicity associated with transmission of one or more reference signals using the serving beam; selecting one or more candidate beams from a set of available beams for measurement according to the first periodicity, the one or more candidate beams selected based on signal strengths of beams in the set of available beams; measuring a second channel characteristic of each of the one or more candidate beams according to the first periodicity; and triggering a beam switch to a first candidate beam of the one or more candidate beams based on the first channel characteristic of the serving beam being below a threshold value.

An apparatus for wireless communication at a UE is described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions may be executable by a processor to cause the apparatus to: measuring a first channel characteristic of a serving beam according to a first periodicity associated with transmission of one or more reference signals using the serving beam; selecting one or more candidate beams from a set of available beams for measurement according to the first periodicity, the one or more candidate beams selected based on signal strengths of beams in the set of available beams; measuring a second channel characteristic of each of the one or more candidate beams according to the first periodicity; and triggering a beam switch to a first candidate beam of the one or more candidate beams based on the first channel characteristic of the serving beam being below a threshold value.

Another apparatus for wireless communication at a UE is described. The apparatus may include: means for measuring a first channel characteristic of a serving beam according to a first periodicity associated with transmission of one or more reference signals using the serving beam; means for selecting one or more candidate beams from a set of available beams for measurement according to the first periodicity, the one or more candidate beams selected based on signal strengths of beams in the set of available beams; means for measuring a second channel characteristic of each of the one or more candidate beams according to the first periodicity; and triggering a beam switch to a first candidate beam of the one or more candidate beams based on the first channel characteristic of the serving beam being below a threshold value.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a UE is described. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to: measuring a first channel characteristic of a serving beam according to a first periodicity associated with transmission of one or more reference signals using the serving beam; selecting one or more candidate beams from a set of available beams for measurement according to the first periodicity, the one or more candidate beams selected based on signal strengths of beams in the set of available beams; measuring a second channel characteristic of each of the one or more candidate beams according to the first periodicity; and triggering a beam switch to a first candidate beam of the one or more candidate beams based on the first channel characteristic of the serving beam being below a threshold value.

In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the measurement of the one or more candidate beams at the first periodicity provides consistent sampling and filtering of the one or more candidate beams and the serving beam for equivalent comparison of associated channel characteristics. In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the measuring the channel characteristics for the serving beam and for each of the one or more candidate beams may include operations, features, components, or instructions for measuring the channel characteristics for each beam on a per-Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) basis. In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the one or more candidate beams include up to a determined number of beams in the set of available beams that are within a measurement difference threshold of the serving beam.

Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, components, or instructions to update the selected one or more candidate beams after each measurement period of the first periodicity. In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, each measurement period includes a set of measurement occasions, and when there are fewer candidate beams than there are occasions to measure one or more beams other than the one or more candidate beams in the measurement period.

In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, one or more beams of the set of available beams other than the one or more candidate beams are selected for inclusion in the prioritized subset of beams based on one or more previous measured metrics, codebook levels, or any combination thereof. In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the one or more previous measurement metrics identify the prioritized subset of beams as beams having one or more of Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) or signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) that exceeds corresponding measurement metrics of other beams by an amount, and wherein the codebook hierarchy indicates one or more beams associated with the serving beam. In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the selecting of the one or more candidate beams is based on the detected mobility of the UE exceeding a threshold value.

A method for wireless communication at a UE is described. The method may include: selecting a first subset of beams from a set of available beams based on a codebook hierarchy associated with the first beam, the first beam having one or more channel metrics that exceed corresponding channel metrics of other beams in the set of available beams, wherein the first subset of beams is prioritized for channel measurement; determining that the mobility of the UE is less than a threshold value; selecting a second subset of beams from the set of available beams based on the determining, the second subset of beams including a highest-level parent beam in the set of available beams; measuring channel characteristics of each beam in the first subset of beams at a first measurement interval and measuring channel characteristics of each beam in the second subset of beams at a second measurement interval having a longer periodicity than the first measurement interval; and triggering beam switching to a first candidate beam in the second subset of beams based on the first candidate beam having measured channel characteristics exceeding corresponding channel characteristics of each beam in the first subset of beams.

An apparatus for wireless communication at a UE is described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions may be executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: selecting a first subset of beams from a set of available beams based on a codebook hierarchy associated with the first beam, the first beam having one or more channel metrics that exceed corresponding channel metrics of other beams in the set of available beams, wherein the first subset of beams is prioritized for channel measurement; determining that the mobility of the UE is less than a threshold value; selecting a second subset of beams from the set of available beams based at least in part on the determining, the second subset of beams including a highest-level parent beam in the set of available beams; measuring channel characteristics of each beam in the first subset of beams at a first measurement interval and measuring channel characteristics of each beam in the second subset of beams at a second measurement interval having a longer periodicity than the first measurement interval; and triggering beam switching to a first candidate beam in the second subset of beams based on the first candidate beam having measured channel characteristics exceeding corresponding channel characteristics of each beam in the first subset of beams.

Another apparatus for wireless communication at a UE is described. The apparatus may include: means for selecting a first subset of beams from a set of available beams based on a codebook hierarchy associated with the first beam, the first beam having one or more channel metrics that exceed corresponding channel metrics of other beams in the set of available beams, wherein the first subset of beams is prioritized for channel measurement; means for determining that mobility of the UE is less than a threshold value; means for selecting a second subset of beams from the set of available beams based on the determining, the second subset of beams comprising a highest-level parent beam in the set of available beams; means for measuring channel characteristics of each beam in the first subset of beams at a first measurement interval and measuring channel characteristics of each beam in the second subset of beams at a second measurement interval having a longer periodicity than the first measurement interval; and triggering beam switching to a first candidate beam in the second subset of beams based on the first candidate beam having measured channel characteristics exceeding the corresponding channel characteristics of each beam in the first subset of beams.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a UE is described. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to: selecting a first subset of beams from a set of available beams based on a codebook hierarchy associated with the first beam, the first beam having one or more channel metrics that exceed corresponding channel metrics of other beams in the set of available beams, wherein the first subset of beams is prioritized for channel measurement; determining that the mobility of the UE is less than a threshold value; selecting a second subset of beams from the set of available beams based on the determining, the second subset of beams including a highest-level parent beam in the set of available beams; measuring channel characteristics of each beam in the first subset of beams at a first measurement interval and measuring channel characteristics of each beam in the second subset of beams at a second measurement interval having a longer periodicity than the first measurement interval; and triggering beam switching to a first candidate beam in the second subset of beams based on the first candidate beam having measured channel characteristics exceeding corresponding channel characteristics of each beam in the first subset of beams.

In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the codebook hierarchy indicates one or more parent beams, child beams, neighbor beams, or any combination thereof associated with the first beam. In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the first beam is selected based on being associated with a boresight of an antenna panel of the UE having a line of sight (LoS) with an access network entity antenna, one or more measurement metrics, or any combination thereof. In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the codebook hierarchy may be a union of all neighbor beam relationships with the first beam in a codebook provided by an access network entity based on free-space beam characteristics.

In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the second measurement interval corresponds to one beam of the second subset of beams of each first measurement interval. In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, each beam in the second subset of beams is measured once per a second number of measurement intervals corresponding to a number of beams in the second subset of beams. In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, one or more beams of the first subset of beams are scheduled for measurement in measurement occasions that are not used to measure one or more beams of the second subset of beams. In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the second measurement interval is selected to provide one or more measurements of each beam in the first subset of beams with a higher periodicity than measurements of each beam in the second subset of beams.

In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the mobility of the UE may be determined based on Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) sensor measurements, and wherein the threshold value is associated with relatively slow UE movement or no UE movement as measured at the IMU. In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the measuring provides for channel characteristics of the second subset of beams to perform the beam switching in the event of a hand-blockage associated with the first subset of beams.

A method for wireless communication at a UE is described. The method may include: identifying a first subset of beams from the set of available beams for channel measurement based on a first serving beam for communication with the access network entity; selecting a second subset of beams for periodic channel measurements based on mobility of the UE, the second subset of beams comprising one or more other beams than the first subset of beams, wherein the second subset of beams comprises a prioritized subset of beams based on previous measurement metrics or a top rank beam included in a codebook of beams; measuring channel characteristics for the first subset of beams and the second subset of beams at a measurement interval; and triggering a beam switch to a first candidate beam of the first subset of beams or the second subset of beams based on the first candidate beam having a measured channel characteristic that is higher than other measured channel characteristics of the first subset of beams and the second subset of beams.

An apparatus for wireless communication at a UE is described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory coupled with the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions may be executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: identifying a first subset of beams from the set of available beams for channel measurement based on a first serving beam for communication with the access network entity; selecting a second subset of beams for periodic channel measurements based on mobility of the UE, the second subset of beams comprising one or more other beams than the first subset of beams, wherein the second subset of beams comprises a prioritized subset of beams based on previous measurement metrics or a top rank beam included in a codebook of beams; measuring channel characteristics for the first subset of beams and the second subset of beams at a measurement interval; and triggering a beam switch to a first candidate beam of the first subset of beams or the second subset of beams based on the first candidate beam having a measured channel characteristic that is higher than other measured channel characteristics of the first subset of beams and the second subset of beams.

Another apparatus for wireless communication at a UE is described. The apparatus may include: means for identifying a first subset of beams from a set of available beams for channel measurement based on a first serving beam for communication with an access network entity; means for selecting a second subset of beams for periodic channel measurements based on mobility of the UE, the second subset of beams comprising one or more other beams than the first subset of beams, wherein the second subset of beams comprises a prioritized subset of beams based on previous measurement metrics or a top beam included in a codebook of beams; means for measuring channel characteristics for the first subset of beams and the second subset of beams at a measurement interval; and triggering a beam switch to a first candidate beam of the first subset of beams or the second subset of beams based on the first candidate beam having a measured channel characteristic that is higher than other measured channel characteristics of the first subset of beams and the second subset of beams.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a UE is described. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to: identifying a first subset of beams from the set of available beams for channel measurement based on a first serving beam for communication with the access network entity; selecting a second subset of beams for periodic channel measurements based on mobility of the UE, the second subset of beams comprising one or more other beams than the first subset of beams, wherein the second subset of beams comprises a prioritized subset of beams based on previous measurement metrics or a top rank beam included in a codebook of beams; measuring channel characteristics for the first subset of beams and the second subset of beams at a measurement interval; and triggering a beam switch to a first candidate beam of the first subset of beams or the second subset of beams based on the first candidate beam having a measured channel characteristic that is higher than other measured channel characteristics of the first subset of beams and the second subset of beams.

In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the second subset of beams includes one or more beams selected for inclusion in the prioritized subset of beams based on one or more previous measurement metrics. In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the one or more previous measurement metrics identify the prioritized subset of beams as beams having one or more of RSRP or SNR that exceeds an amount determined by corresponding measurement metrics of other beams.

In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the first subset of beams includes one or more parent beams, child beams, neighbor beams, or any combination thereof associated with the first service beam. In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the first service beam is selected based at least in part on being associated with a boresight of an antenna panel of the UE having a LoS with an access network entity antenna, one or more measurement metrics, or any combination thereof. In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, one or more beams of the first subset of beams are scheduled for measurement in measurement occasions that are not used to measure one or more beams of the second subset of beams.

Drawings

Fig. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communication system supporting techniques for beam selection based on measurement periodicity in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 illustrates an example of a portion of a wireless communication system supporting techniques for beam selection based on measurement periodicity in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3 illustrates an example of a beam measurement interval supporting techniques for beam selection based on measurement periodicity in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 illustrates an example of a flow chart supporting techniques for beam selection based on measurement periodicity in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 and 6 illustrate block diagrams of devices supporting techniques for beam selection based on measurement periodicity, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7 illustrates a block diagram of a communication manager supporting techniques for beam selection based on measurement periodicity in accordance with aspects of the disclosure.

Fig. 8 illustrates a diagram of a system including a device supporting techniques for beam selection based on measurement periodicity in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 9-11 show flowcharts illustrating methods supporting techniques for beam selection based on measurement periodicity in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Some wireless communication systems, such as fifth generation (5G) New Radio (NR) systems, support beamformed communications in which devices share information via directional communication beams. When operating with beamformed communications, measurements of the different beams may be used to determine one or more particular beams to be used between an access network entity (e.g., a base station) and a User Equipment (UE). Further, when the quality of service beam becomes degraded, the UE may perform periodic beam measurements to support handover of the beam. In some cases, the UE may perform periodic measurements of the serving beam and one or more other beams, and may select a candidate beam for potential beam switching based on the beam measurements if the estimated channel quality of the serving beam exceeds a threshold (e.g., an absolute threshold or a differential threshold of measurements relative to the one or more other beams).

Beam measurements may be performed for a plurality of different beams used at the base station, and the base station may periodically transmit one or more reference signals using the different beams to support such measurements. For example, the base station may transmit Synchronization Signal Blocks (SSBs) using different beams according to a defined pattern. However, if the UE were to measure each beam used by the base station, performing such measurements would take a significant amount of time due to the number of SSBs that must be measured and the SSB periodicity (e.g., measurement of all SSBs may take about two seconds). During such durations, there is also a possibility that the measurements will become stale (e.g., due to UE movement, blocking or change in interference level, etc.), and thus result in poor beam switching decisions. To mitigate such effects, current techniques identify a subset of beams for measurement based on the beam associated with the current serving beam. For example, the UE may identify the subset of beams based on a codebook hierarchy of beams that have a relatively close spatial relationship with the serving beam (e.g., have similar directions with respect to the base station) and thus may have better channel quality than other beams (e.g., beams pointing away from the UE). The subset of prioritized beams may be measured in a best-effort (best-effort) manner, which may result in some stale measurements. Furthermore, in the presence of relatively fast or relatively slow mobility, such techniques may be inefficient and do not provide for measurement of better beams at a particular time. For example, in a high mobility scenario, relatively fast beam switching may be required to maintain a reliable connection, and existing best effort measurement techniques may not provide current measurements of prioritized beams for accurate comparison with the serving beam. In low mobility scenarios, fewer beam switches may be required and existing prioritization techniques may not provide diversity of measurements, such that if prioritized beams are blocked (e.g., due to hand blocking), better beams may not be identified and performance may be degraded.

According to various aspects described herein, techniques for more efficient beam measurement in high mobility and low mobility scenarios are provided. In a high mobility scenario, multiple prioritized beams may be scheduled for measurement with the same periodicity as measurement of a serving beam (e.g., a virtual serving UE beam (VSUEb)). Such techniques provide that up to a maximum number (e.g., n=3) of beams having measured signal strengths within a range of the serving beam signal strengths (e.g., within X dB) are scheduled for measurement at the same periodicity as the serving beam. Each measurement interval measures the serving beam and the identified prioritized beam and one or more other beams if there are measurement occasions for which unrecognized prioritized beams are used. Beam switching may be triggered based on the measured channel quality of the beam exceeding the serving beam (e.g., by a defined margin better than the serving beam). The prioritized beams are thus measured with the same periodicity as the serving beam, which provides a more equivalent comparison of the beams and a more efficient beam switching, especially in case of high mobility.

In some low mobility cases, the set of layer one beams (which may also be referred to as the maximum level beam or top level beam) may be measured at a relatively slow pace. In some cases, the layer one beam may be measured based on the measured mobility being less than a threshold value. In the case where beams at UEs associated with a codebook hierarchy share common beam blockage or interference problems (e.g., due to hand blockage), one of the layer-by-layer beams may have better channel characteristics, which may be used to trigger beam switching. In some cases, layer one beams may be measured at a cadence of one beam per measurement occasion, which provides a much lower sampling rate than that for codebook-level beams, but allows for enhanced diversity of beam measurements in the event of beam blockage at the codebook-level beams. In the case where such measurements are initiated based on the UE mobility being less than a threshold value, it is likely that even relatively old measurements on layer one beams will be useful for triggering beam switching in the event of an obstacle or interference.

The present technique improves system performance by providing beam measurements that can be more reliably used for beam switching evaluation. In some cases, the described techniques may support improvements in system efficiency such that battery performance and system performance of the device are improved. In addition, the described techniques may result in reduced time spent in beam switch determination and may result in switching to a more preferred beam in the event of beam switch. Thus, such techniques may provide increased throughput, reduced latency, improved user experience, longer battery life, and improved quality of service and reliability.

Various aspects of the present disclosure are first described in the context of a wireless communication system. Aspects of the disclosure are further illustrated and described with reference to measurement timing, device diagrams, system diagrams, and flow charts related to techniques for beam selection based on measurement periodicity.

Fig. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communication system 100 supporting techniques for beam selection based on measurement periodicity in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communication system 100 may include one or more base stations 105, one or more UEs 115, and a core network 130. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may be a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, an LTE-advanced (LTE-a) network, an LTE-a Pro network, or a New Radio (NR) network. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may support enhanced broadband communications, ultra-reliable (e.g., mission critical) communications, low latency communications, or communications with low cost and low complexity devices, or any combination thereof.

The base stations 105 may be dispersed throughout a geographic area to form the wireless communication system 100 and may be devices of different forms or with different capabilities. The base station 105 and the UE 115 may communicate wirelessly via one or more communication links 125. Each base station 105 may provide a coverage area 110 over which the UE 115 and the base station 105 may establish one or more communication links 125. Coverage area 110 may be an example of a geographic area over which base station 105 and UE 115 may support transmitting signals in accordance with one or more radio access technologies.

The UEs 115 may be dispersed throughout the coverage area 110 of the wireless communication system 100, and each UE 115 may be stationary, or mobile, or both at different times. The UE 115 may be a different form or device with different capabilities. Some example UEs 115 are shown in fig. 1. The UEs 115 described herein are capable of communicating with various types of devices, such as other UEs 115, base stations 105, or network devices (e.g., core network nodes, relay devices, integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) nodes, or other network devices), as shown in fig. 1.

The base stations 105 may communicate with the core network 130, with each other, with both. For example, the base station 105 may interface with the core network 130 through one or more backhaul links 120 (e.g., via S1, N2, N3, or other interfaces). The base stations 105 may communicate with each other directly (e.g., directly between the base stations 105) or indirectly (e.g., via the core network 130) or both via the backhaul link 120 (e.g., via X2, xn, or other interface). In some examples, the backhaul link 120 may be or include one or more wireless links.

One or more of the base stations 105 described herein may include or may be referred to by those of ordinary skill in the art as a base station transceiver, a radio base station, an access point, a radio transceiver, a NodeB (node B), an evolved node B (eNB), a next generation NodeB or gigabit NodeB (any of which may be referred to as a gNB), a home NodeB, a home evolved NodeB, or other suitable terminology.

The UE 115 may include or may be referred to as a mobile device, a wireless device, a remote device, a handheld device, or a subscriber device, or some other suitable terminology, where a "device" may also be referred to as a unit, station, terminal, or client, among other examples. The UE 115 may also include or may be referred to as a personal electronic device, such as a cellular telephone, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, or a personal computer. In some examples, the UE 115 may include or be referred to as a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, an internet of things (IoT) device, a internet of things (IoE) device, or a Machine Type Communication (MTC) device, among other examples, which may be implemented in various items such as appliances, or vehicles, meters, among other examples.

The UEs 115 described herein are capable of communicating with various types of devices, as well as other UEs 115, and base stations 105 and network devices, including macro enbs or gnbs, small cell enbs or gnbs, or relay base stations, as well as other examples, that may sometimes act as relays, as shown in fig. 1.

The UE 115 and the base station 105 may communicate wirelessly with each other via one or more communication links 125 on one or more carriers. The term "carrier" may refer to a set of radio frequency spectrum resources having a defined physical layer structure for supporting the communication link 125. For example, the carrier for the communication link 125 may include a portion of a radio frequency spectrum band (e.g., a bandwidth portion (BWP)) that operates according to one or more physical layer channels for a given radio access technology (e.g., LTE-A, LTE-a Pro, NR). Each physical layer channel may carry acquisition signaling (e.g., synchronization signals, system information), control signaling to coordinate operation for the carrier, user data, or other signaling. The wireless communication system 100 may support communication with UEs 115 using carrier aggregation or multi-carrier operation. The UE 115 may be configured with multiple downlink component carriers and one or more uplink component carriers according to a carrier aggregation configuration. Carrier aggregation may be used with both Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) component carriers and Time Division Duplex (TDD) component carriers.

The signal waveform transmitted on the carrier may be composed of multiple subcarriers (e.g., using multi-carrier modulation (MCM) techniques such as Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) or discrete fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM)). In a system employing MCM techniques, a resource element may include one symbol period (e.g., the duration of one modulation symbol) and one subcarrier, where the symbol period and subcarrier spacing are negatively associated. The number of bits carried by each resource element may depend on the modulation scheme (e.g., the order of the modulation scheme, the coding rate of the modulation scheme, or both). Thus, the more resource elements received by the UE 115 and the higher the order of the modulation scheme, the higher the data rate for the UE 115 may be. The wireless communication resources may refer to a combination of radio frequency spectrum resources, time resources, and spatial resources (e.g., spatial layers or beams), and the use of multiple spatial layers may also increase the data rate or data integrity for communication with the UE 115.

The time interval for the base station 105 or the UE 115 may be represented by a multiple of a basic time unit, e.g., a basic time unit may refer to T _s ＝1/(Δf _max ·N _f ) Sampling period of seconds, Δf _max Can represent the maximum subcarrier spacing supported, N _f The supported maximum Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) size may be represented. The time intervals of the communication resources may be organized according to radio frames each having a specified duration (e.g., 10 milliseconds (ms)). Each radio frame may be identified by a System Frame Number (SFN) (e.g., ranging from 0 to 1023).

Each frame may include a plurality of consecutively numbered subframes or slots, and each subframe or slot may have the same duration. In some examples, a frame may be divided into subframes (e.g., in the time domain), and each subframe may be further divided into a number of slots. Alternatively, each frame may include a variable number of slots, and the number of slots may depend on the subcarrier spacing. Each slot may include multiple symbol periods (e.g., depending on the length of the cyclic prefix added before each symbol period). In some wireless communication systems 100, a time slot may also be divided into a plurality of mini-slots containing one or more symbols. Excluding cyclic prefixes, each symbol period may contain one or more (e.g., N _f ) Sampling period. The duration of the symbol period may depend on the subcarrier spacing or the operating frequency band.

A subframe, slot, minislot, or symbol may be the smallest scheduling unit (e.g., in the time domain) of the wireless communication system 100 and may be referred to as a Transmission Time Interval (TTI). In some examples, the TTI duration (e.g., the number of symbol periods in a TTI) may be variable. Additionally or alternatively, the smallest scheduling unit of the wireless communication system 100 may be dynamically selected (e.g., in bursts of short TTIs (sTTI)).

Physical channels may be multiplexed on carriers according to various techniques. The physical control channels and physical data channels may be multiplexed on the downlink carrier using, for example, one or more of Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) techniques, frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM) techniques, or hybrid TDM-FDM techniques. The control region (e.g., control resource set (CORESET)) for the physical control channel may be defined by a number of symbol periods and may extend across a system bandwidth or a subset of the system bandwidth of the carrier. One or more control regions (e.g., CORESET) may be configured for a set of UEs 115. For example, one or more of UEs 115 may monitor or search the control region for control information based on one or more sets of search spaces, and each set of search spaces may include one or more control channel candidates in one or more aggregation levels arranged in a cascaded manner. The aggregation level for control channel candidates may refer to the number of control channel resources (e.g., control Channel Elements (CCEs)) associated with encoded information for a control information format having a given payload size. The set of search spaces may include a common set of search spaces configured for transmitting control information to a plurality of UEs 115 and a UE-specific set of search spaces for transmitting control information to a particular UE 115.

In some examples, the base station 105 may be mobile and thus provide communication coverage for a mobile geographic coverage area 110. In some examples, different geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may overlap, but different geographic coverage areas 110 may be supported by the same base station 105. In other examples, overlapping geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may be supported by different base stations 105. The wireless communication system 100 may include, for example, a heterogeneous network in which different types of base stations 105 provide coverage for respective geographic coverage areas 110 using the same or different radio access technologies.

Some UEs 115, such as MTC or IoT devices, may be low cost or low complexity devices and may provide for automatic communication between machines (e.g., via machine-to-machine (M2M) communication). M2M communication or MTC may refer to data communication techniques that allow devices to communicate with each other or with the base station 105 without human intervention. In some examples, M2M communications or MTC may include communications from devices integrating sensors or meters to measure or capture information and relay such information to a central server or application that utilizes or presents information to humans interacting with the application. Some UEs 115 may be designed to collect information or to implement automated behavior of a machine or other device. Examples of applications for MTC devices include smart metering, inventory monitoring, water level monitoring, device monitoring, healthcare monitoring, wildlife monitoring, climate and geological event monitoring, fleet management and tracking, remote security sensing, physical access control, and transaction-based business billing.

The wireless communication system 100 may be configured to support ultra-reliable communication or low-latency communication, or various combinations thereof. For example, the wireless communication system 100 may be configured to support ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC) or mission critical communication. The UE 115 may be designed to support ultra-reliable, low-latency, or critical functions (e.g., mission critical functions). Ultra-reliable communications may include private communications or group communications, and may be supported by one or more mission critical services, such as mission critical push-to-talk (MCPTT), mission critical video (MCVideo), or mission critical data (MCData). Support for mission critical functions may include prioritization of services, and mission critical services may be used for public safety or general business applications. The terms ultra-reliable, low-latency, mission-critical, and ultra-reliable low-latency are used interchangeably herein.

In some examples, the UE 115 is also capable of directly communicating (e.g., using peer-to-peer (P2P) or D2D protocols) with other UEs 115 over a device-to-device (D2D) communication link 135. One or more UEs 115 utilizing D2D communication may be within the geographic coverage area 110 of the base station 105. Other UEs 115 in such a group may be outside of the geographic coverage area 110 of the base station 105 or otherwise unable to receive transmissions from the base station 105. In some examples, a group of UEs 115 communicating via D2D communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system in which each UE 115 transmits to each other UE 115 in the group. In some examples, the base station 105 facilitates scheduling of resources for D2D communications. In other cases, D2D communication is performed between UEs 115 without involving base station 105.

In some systems, D2D communication link 135 may be an example of a communication channel (such as a side-link communication channel) between vehicles (e.g., UEs 115). In some examples, the vehicles may communicate using vehicle networking (V2X) communications, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications, or some combination of these. The vehicle may signal information related to traffic conditions, signal scheduling, weather, safety, emergency, or any other information related to the V2X system. In some examples, a vehicle in the V2X system may communicate with a roadside infrastructure (e.g., a roadside unit), or with a network via one or more network nodes (e.g., base station 105) using vehicle-to-network (V2N) communications, or both.

The core network 130 may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The core network 130 may be an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) or a 5G core (5 GC), which may include at least one control plane entity (e.g., a Mobility Management Entity (MME), an access and mobility management function (AMF)) that manages access and mobility, and at least one user plane entity (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW), a Packet Data Network (PDN) gateway (P-GW), or a User Plane Function (UPF)) that routes packets to or interconnects to an external network. The control plane entity may manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management for UEs 115 served by base stations 105 associated with the core network 130. The user IP packets may be communicated by a user plane entity that may provide IP address assignment, as well as other functions. The user plane entity may be connected to IP services 150 for one or more network operators. IP services 150 may include access to the internet, intranets, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), or packet switched streaming services.

Some of the network devices, such as base stations 105, may include subcomponents such as access network entity 140, which access network entity 140 may be an example of an Access Node Controller (ANC). Each access network entity 140 may communicate with UEs 115 through one or more other access network transport entities 145, which may be referred to as radio heads, smart radio heads, or transmit/receive points (TRPs). Each access network transport entity 145 may include one or more antenna panels. In some configurations, the various functions of each access network entity 140 or base station 105 may be distributed across various network devices (e.g., radio heads and ANCs) or incorporated into a single network device (e.g., base station 105).

The wireless communication system 100 may operate using one or more frequency bands, typically in the range of 300 megahertz (MHz) to 300 gigahertz (GHz). Typically, the region from 300MHz to 3GHz is referred to as the very high frequency (UHF) region or the decimeter band, since its wavelength ranges from about 1 decimeter to 1 meter in length. UHF waves may be blocked or redirected by building and environmental features, but these waves may be sufficient to penetrate the building for the macrocell to serve UEs 115 located indoors. Transmission of UHF waves may be associated with smaller antennas and shorter distances (e.g., less than 100 km) than transmission of smaller frequencies and longer wavelengths using High Frequency (HF) or Very High Frequency (VHF) portions of the spectrum below 300 MHz.

The wireless communication system 100 may also operate in the ultra-high frequency (SHF) region using a frequency band from 3GHz to 30GHz (also referred to as a centimeter frequency band) or in the extremely-high frequency (EHF) region of the spectrum (e.g., from 30GHz to 300 GHz) (also referred to as a millimeter frequency band). In some examples, wireless communication system 100 may support millimeter wave (mmW) communication between UE 115 and base station 105, and EHF antennas of respective devices may be smaller and more closely spaced than UHF antennas. In some examples, this may facilitate the use of antenna arrays within the device. However, the propagation of EHF transmissions may suffer from even greater atmospheric attenuation and shorter range than SHF or UHF transmissions. The techniques disclosed herein may be employed across transmissions using one or more different frequency regions, and the designated use of frequency bands across these frequency regions may vary depending on the country or regulatory agency.

The wireless communication system 100 may utilize both licensed and unlicensed radio frequency spectrum bands. For example, the wireless communication system 100 may employ Licensed Assisted Access (LAA), LTE-unlicensed (LTE-U) radio access technology, or NR technology in unlicensed frequency bands, such as the 5GHz industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band. Devices such as base station 105 and UE 115 may use carrier sensing for collision detection and avoidance when operating in unlicensed radio frequency spectrum bands. In some examples, operation in the unlicensed band may be based on a carrier aggregation configuration in combination with component carriers operating in the licensed band (e.g., LAA). Operations in the unlicensed spectrum may include downlink transmissions, uplink transmissions, P2P transmissions, or D2D transmissions, among others.

Base station 105 or UE 115 may be equipped with multiple antennas that may be used to employ techniques such as transmit diversity, receive diversity, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication, or beamforming. The antennas of base station 105 or UE 115 may be located within one or more antenna arrays or antenna panels, which may support MIMO operation or transmit or receive beamforming. For example, one or more base station antennas or antenna arrays may be co-located at an antenna assembly, such as an antenna tower. In some examples, antennas or antenna arrays associated with base station 105 may be located in diverse geographic locations. The base station 105 may have an antenna array with a number of rows and columns of antenna ports that the base station 105 may use to support beamforming for communications with the UE 115. Likewise, UE 115 may have one or more antenna arrays that may support various MIMO or beamforming operations. Additionally or alternatively, the antenna panel may support radio frequency beamforming for signals transmitted via the antenna ports.

Base station 105 or UE 115 may utilize multipath signal propagation using MIMO communication and may improve spectral efficiency by transmitting or receiving multiple signals via different spatial layers. This technique may be referred to as spatial multiplexing. For example, the plurality of signals may be transmitted by the transmitting device via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Similarly, the plurality of signals may be received by the receiving device via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Each of the plurality of signals may be referred to as a separate spatial stream and may carry bits associated with the same data stream (e.g., the same codeword) or a different data stream (e.g., a different codeword). Different spatial layers may be associated with different antenna ports used for channel measurements and reporting. MIMO techniques include single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) (in which multiple spatial layers are transmitted to the same receiving device) and multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) (in which multiple spatial layers are transmitted to multiple devices).

Beamforming (which may also be referred to as spatial filtering, directional transmission, or directional reception) is a signal processing technique that may be used at a transmitting device or a receiving device (e.g., base station 105, UE 115) to shape or steer antenna beams (e.g., transmit beams, receive beams) along a spatial path between the transmitting device and the receiving device. Beamforming may be achieved by: signals transmitted via antenna elements of the antenna array are combined such that signals propagating in a particular direction relative to the antenna array experience constructive interference, while other signals experience destructive interference. The adjustment of the signal transmitted via the antenna element may include the transmitting device or the receiving device applying an amplitude offset, a phase offset, or both, to the signal carried via the antenna element associated with the device. The adjustment associated with each of these antenna elements may be defined by a set of beamforming weights associated with a particular orientation (e.g., relative to an antenna array of the transmitting device or the receiving device or relative to some other orientation).

The base station 105 or UE 115 may use beam scanning techniques as part of the beamforming operation. For example, the base station 105 may use multiple antennas or antenna arrays (e.g., antenna panels) for beamforming operations for directional communication with the UE 115. The base station 105 may transmit some signals (e.g., synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals) multiple times in different directions. For example, the base station 105 may transmit signals according to different sets of beamforming weights associated with different transmit directions. Transmissions in different beam directions may be used (e.g., by a transmitting device (such as base station 105) or by a receiving device (such as UE 115)) to identify the beam direction for subsequent transmission or reception by base station 105.

The base station 105 may transmit some signals, e.g., data signals associated with a particular receiving device (e.g., UE 115), in a single beam direction (e.g., a direction associated with the receiving device). In some examples, the beam direction associated with transmissions along a single beam direction may be determined based on signals transmitted in one or more beam directions. For example, the UE 115 may receive one or more of the signals transmitted by the base station 105 in different directions and may report an indication to the base station 105 of the signal received by the UE 115 with the highest signal quality or otherwise acceptable signal quality.

In some examples, transmissions by a device (e.g., by base station 105 or UE 115) may be performed using multiple beam directions, and the device may use a combination of digital precoding or radio frequency beamforming to generate a combined beam for transmission (e.g., from base station 105 to UE 115). The UE 115 may report feedback indicating precoding weights for one or more beam directions and the feedback may correspond to a configured number of beams spanning a system bandwidth or one or more subbands. The base station 105 may transmit reference signals (e.g., cell-specific reference signals (CRSs), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS)) that may or may not be precoded. The UE 115 may provide feedback for beam selection, which may be a Precoding Matrix Indicator (PMI) or codebook-based feedback (e.g., a multi-panel type codebook, a linear combination type codebook, a port selection type codebook). Although these techniques are described with reference to signals transmitted by the base station 105 in one or more directions, the UE 115 may employ similar techniques to transmit signals multiple times in different directions (e.g., to identify beam directions for subsequent transmission or reception by the UE 115) or in a single direction (e.g., to transmit data to a receiving device).

A receiving device (e.g., UE 115) may attempt multiple receive configurations (e.g., directional listening) upon receiving various signals (such as synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals) from base station 105. For example, the receiving device may attempt multiple receiving directions by: the received signals are received via different antenna sub-arrays, processed according to different antenna sub-arrays, received according to different sets of receive beamforming weights applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of the antenna array (e.g., different sets of directional listening weights), or processed according to different sets of receive beamforming weights applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of the antenna array, any of which may be referred to as "listening" according to different receive configurations or receive directions. In some examples, the receiving device may use a single receiving configuration to receive along a single beam direction (e.g., when receiving a data signal). The single receive configuration may be aligned on a beam direction determined based on listening according to different receive configuration directions (e.g., a beam direction determined to have the highest signal strength, highest signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), or otherwise acceptable signal quality based on listening according to multiple beam directions).

In some cases, one or more UEs 115 may perform beam measurements after establishing communication with the serving beam. Such measurements may measure the serving beam as well as other beams in order to monitor the beam and initiate beam switching in case of degradation of the serving beam. To avoid having to measure each beam that may be transmitted by the base station 105, such a UE 115 may identify a subset of beams for measurement, such as based on a codebook hierarchy. In some cases, UE 115 may identify one or more prioritized beams that may be scheduled for measurement with the same periodicity as the measurement of the serving beam. In some cases, up to a maximum number (N) of beams having measured signal strengths within a range of the serving beam signal strengths (e.g., within X dB) are scheduled for measurement with the same periodicity as the serving beam. Beam switching may be triggered based on the measured channel quality of the beam exceeding the serving beam (e.g., by a predetermined margin over the serving beam). In some low mobility scenarios, the set of layer one beams (e.g., the maximum level beam or the top level beam) may be measured by the UE 115 according to periodic intervals based on the measured mobility being less than a threshold value. In some cases, one beam per layer may be measured at a cadence of one beam per measurement occasion.

Fig. 2 illustrates an example of a wireless communication system 200 supporting techniques for beam selection based on measurement periodicity in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. As shown, the wireless communication system 200 may include a UE 115-a and a base station 105-a, which may be examples of the UE 115 or base station 105 described herein with reference to fig. 1. The wireless communication system 200 may also include a downlink 205 and an uplink 210. The base station 105-a may use the downlink 205 to transmit control and/or data information to the UE 115-a. And UE 115-a may use uplink 210 to transmit control and/or data information to base station 105-a. In some cases, downlink 205 may use different time and/or frequency resources than uplink 210.

In some examples, UE 115-a may communicate with base station 105-a using beamformed communications (e.g., via downlink 205 and uplink 210). In some cases, the base station 105 may provide configuration information to the UE 115-a that may configure the UE 115-a to monitor Synchronization Signal Blocks (SSBs) 215 transmitted using different beams (e.g., each SSB 215 may be associated with a beam index of a beam codebook that may be preconfigured or provided by the base station 105-a). UE 115-a may measure the reference signals in SSB 215 and use the measurements to identify signal strengths associated with the different beams (e.g., based on Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP)). Such measurements may be sent to the base station 105-a in one or more measurement reports 220, and in some cases beam switching may be initiated based on beam measurements (e.g., based on the serving beam having been degraded, making different beams more suitable for communication).

In some cases, UE 115-a may scan the beams of SSB 215 in a periodic manner to monitor the beam intensities of the different beams. For example, UE 115-a may scan the beam according to the configured codebook and identify the appropriate beam for uplink/downlink data communication. In some cases, the total number of UE beams in the codebook may be relatively large, such as 40-100 beams in some deployments. In some cases, the UE 115-a may simply measure each beam and monitor the beam strength in a cyclic manner. However, such techniques may introduce a relatively large delay in finding the best beam (e.g., if UE 115-a measures 100 beams and SSB 215 is periodic with one SSB 215 every 20ms, then the measurement of all beams would take 2 seconds). Such delays may cause older measurements to become stale (e.g., due to UE 115-a rotating or moving), and thus unreliable.

In some cases, UE 115-a may prioritize a subset of beams for measurement in order to measure beams with a higher likelihood of being suitable for more frequent communications. For example, a codebook hierarchy may be used to identify a subset of beams (which may be an example of a first subset of beams) as a union of all neighboring beam relationships determined by free-space beam characteristics. For example, the subset of beams may include an optimal beam (e.g., based on a visual axis in a line of sight (LoS), or according to a measurement metric), an optimal beam parent beam (e.g., a higher rank beam having a larger beamwidth), and any higher rank beam of the parent beam, one or more neighboring beams of the parent beam (e.g., neighboring spatial beams), one or more neighboring beams of the optimal beam, and one or more sub-beams of the optimal beam (e.g., a narrower beamwidth beam within the beamwidth of the optimal beam). Such a codebook hierarchy allows more frequent measurements to be made on beams with a higher likelihood of being suitable for communication, and thus may enhance the performance and reliability of communication.

Further, in some cases, one or more beams with higher measurement metrics (e.g., higher RSRP or signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) measurements) may be identified, and UE 115-a may measure such beams using best effort scheduling. However, since the number of prioritized beams is dynamic (e.g., dependent on UE motion state, channel quality, etc.), such best effort scheduling may not provide a regular cadence to any candidate (e.g., potentially serving) beams. Further, for comparison purposes, layer one (L1) filtering may be performed on the measured beams to normalize the measurements across the beam and beam width, and the filtering may use one or more coefficients that are adapted to the actual sampling rate. In the case where the beams are measured with a lower periodicity than the serving beam (e.g., the serving beam may be measured at each measurement occasion and prioritized beams in the subset of beams may be measured less frequently), L1 filtering may result in fewer measured beams with lower weights than the serving beam and there may be a bias towards the serving beam. Thus, beam switch or measurement report 220 may be less reliable due to instantaneous or under-filtered measurements, staleness from irregular best effort TDM samples, or any combination thereof. In addition, the subset of beams identified based on the codebook hierarchy may result in identifying local maxima that are affected by obstructions or interference (e.g., hand blockage may affect the beams identified by the codebook hierarchy). In some cases, such codebook-level techniques may be further enhanced to provide beam measurements with increased reliability, diversity, or both.

In some cases, based on the mobility of the UE 115-a, one or more beams may be selected for measurement at intervals that are more frequent than would be provided if the codebook hierarchy were used alone. In some cases, the UE 115-a may experience relatively high mobility (e.g., relatively fast movement or rotation relative to the beam direction of the base station 105-a), and beam measurements for certain beams may be stale or relatively infrequent, and thus may not be able to identify the beam that may be most suitable for communication. In some cases, UE 115-a may identify one or more beams to measure at the same cadence as the serving beam. For example, the first beam may be identified as having an RSRP that exceeds the RSRP of the other beams (e.g., beams from a subset of beams such as those prioritized based on codebook hierarchy), and the first beam may be measured at the same cadence as the serving beam (e.g., on a per SSB basis). In some cases, the service beam (e.g., VSUEb) may be maintained on a per SSB basis and measurements provided in measurement reports 220 (e.g., L1/L3 reports indicating the best UE beam on each SSB 215). By measuring the first beam (and optionally one or more other beams with measurements meeting a threshold criteria), consistent sampling and filtering of the top one or more beams competing with the serving beam may be provided, which may allow for a more uniform comparison of the beams when evaluating beam switching criteria. An example of such beam measurements is discussed with reference to fig. 3.

In some cases, in addition to or instead of identifying the beams to be measured with the same periodicity as the serving beam, the UE 115-a may identify a subset of beams (which may be an example of a second subset of beams) that includes all the largest or top rank beams (e.g., L1 beams) in the beam codebook. The UE 115-a may measure each beam in the subset of beams in a recurring manner over a period of time (e.g., a period of T ms) that may be set to a relatively large period of time so as to have no substantial effect on mobility tracking (e.g., measurements with beam prioritization). For example, one maximum level beam may be measured at UE 115-a per measurement interval (e.g., one maximum level beam per measurement report 220). The remaining measurement occasions of the measurement interval may be used for measurement of higher priority beams or beams identified based on codebook hierarchy. Thus, such techniques may provide relatively slow measurement updates for each top rank beam, which may allow the UE 115-a to avoid being stuck at local maxima of higher priority beams (e.g., in the event of hand blockage or other interference). In the case of a UE 115-a with relatively low mobility, such longer periodic measurements may have a relatively long period of usefulness. In some cases, if Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) sensor information is available (or other information indicating that UE 115-a is stationary or has mobility less than a threshold value), UE 115-a may enable such long period measurements only when stationary or moving relatively slowly. Such techniques may improve throughput performance in stationary/low mobility scenarios by ensuring fairness between beam directions.

Fig. 3 illustrates an example of a beam measurement interval 300 supporting techniques for beam selection based on measurement periodicity in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The beam measurement interval 300 may be implemented by a UE as described herein (e.g., UE 115 of fig. 1 or 2).

In this example, the serving beam may have serving beam measurement occasions 305 (e.g., serving beam measurement occasions 305-a through 305-e are provided) that may occur on a per SSB basis, and thus have a serving beam periodicity 310. Further, as discussed herein, one or more beams may be identified for measurement with the same periodicity as the serving beam. For example, the UE may maintain up to N candidate beams (e.g., n=3 in the example of fig. 3) in the prioritized beam subset (e.g., in the second beam subset, which may include beams within or outside of the first beam subset identified based on the codebook hierarchy) that are at least X dB lower (e.g., within 1dB below VSUEb) than the serving beam. Each of the identified prioritized candidate beams may be scheduled for measurement at the same cadence as the serving beam update such that the serving beam and each identified prioritized candidate beam are updated after each round of scheduling 315.

In the example of fig. 3, in the first round 315-a, the first candidate beam may be measured in a first measurement occasion 320-a and the second candidate beam may be measured in a second measurement occasion 325-a based on the first candidate beam and the second candidate beam having a measurement power above a threshold value relative to the measurement of the serving beam. In this example, the first wheel 315-a may have four measurement occasions, which brings one additional class 2 measurement occasion 335 available that may be used to measure another beam (e.g., another beam in the first subset of beams identified based on the codebook hierarchy). In the second round of measurements 315-b, in this example, only the first candidate beam is measured in the first measurement occasion 320-b based on the second candidate beam having measurements that fall below a threshold value, and thus two class 2 measurement occasions 335 are available in the second round of measurements 315-b. In this example, the third round 315-c may include three candidate beams measured based on the first candidate beam, the second candidate beam, and the third candidate beam having a measurement power above the threshold value (e.g., the first candidate beam measured in the first measurement occasion 320-c, the second candidate beam measured in the second measurement occasion 325-b, and the third candidate beam measured in the third measurement occasion 330). In the fourth round 315-d, prioritized candidate beams may not be measured based on beams that do not have measurement power above the threshold in the previous round of measurement, and thus three class 2 measurement opportunities 335 may be available.

Such techniques may allow for increased frequency and reliability of measurements for candidate beams with relatively good measured power. By uniformly sampling one or more top candidate beams and having these beams compete with the serving beam at the same sampling frequency, beam switch determination may be more reliable and faster beam switch to the preferred beam may be achieved.

Fig. 4 illustrates an example of a flow chart 400 supporting techniques for beam selection based on measurement periodicity in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, the operations of flowchart 400 may be implemented by aspects of wireless communication 100 or wireless communication system 200 as described with reference to fig. 1 and 2. For example, the operations of flowchart 400 may be performed by UE 115 as described with reference to fig. 1 and 2. The following alternative examples may be implemented in which some of the processes are performed in a different order than described, or not performed at all. In some examples, the process may include additional features not mentioned below, or additional processes may be added. In some examples, the UE may execute a set of instructions to control functional elements of the UE to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the described functionality.

At 405, the UE may identify a priority beam based on the codebook hierarchy. In some cases, the UE may be configured with a codebook of beams. The priority beam, which may be the first subset of beams, may be determined based on the serving beam or the best measurement beam and the union of all neighboring beam relations determined by the free space beam characteristics. For example, the subset of beams may include the best beam (e.g., based on the visual axis in the LoS, or according to a measurement metric), the best beam parent beam (e.g., a higher rank beam with a larger beamwidth) and any higher rank beam of the parent beam, one or more adjacent beams of the parent beam (e.g., adjacent spatial beams), one or more adjacent beams of the best beam, and one or more sub-beams of the best beam (e.g., a narrower beamwidth beam within the beamwidth of the best beam).

At 410, in some cases, the UE may determine whether UE mobility (e.g., UE translational movement, rotation, or both) exceeds a threshold value. In some cases, input from IMU sensors may be used to determine UE mobility. In some cases, the threshold value may be associated with a number of beam changes that may be expected based on a particular level of sensed UE mobility. For example, if the configured L3 beam has a certain beamwidth, it may be expected that the beam change occurs faster or slower based on the UE movement level. In some cases, the UE may be preconfigured with an L3 beam width based IMU sensor threshold, which may be used to determine UE mobility relative to a threshold value. In other cases, historical data related to UE mobility and beam change rate may be used to set a threshold value (e.g., by a machine learning algorithm at the UE). In some cases, two threshold values may be set, and UE mobility exceeding a high threshold value may trigger selection of a beam for measurement at the same cadence as the serving beam, such as discussed with reference to fig. 2 and 3; and as discussed with reference to fig. 2, UE mobility that does not exceed a low threshold may trigger top-rank beam measurements at a relatively slow cadence.

At 415, the UE may select one or more candidate beams for periodically taking measurements with the virtual serving beam. In some cases, such selection may be triggered based on the UE mobility exceeding a threshold. In other cases, such selection may be made based solely on the measured power level of the candidate beam being within the measured level of the serving beam, regardless of UE mobility.

At 420, the UE may measure the selected candidate beam with the same periodicity as the serving beam. Such measurements may provide for evaluating the selected candidate beam and the serving beam based on the same measurement criteria, which may provide for enhanced determination of beam switching. At 425, the UE may update the candidate beam selection based on the measured candidate beams. In some cases, if a measured candidate beam has a measured power level that is less than a certain level from the serving beam, that beam may be discarded from the selected candidate beam for the next round of measurement. Also, if a different beam (e.g., another beam based on the codebook hierarchy) that meets the selection criteria is measured, the different beam may be added to the selected candidate beam for the next round of measurement.

At 430, a determination is made as to whether the beam switching criteria are met. In some cases, the beam switching criteria may be based on a measurement beam having a measurement power or SNR that exceeds a threshold amount of the serving beam. At 435, beam switching may be triggered if it occurs that the beam switching criteria are met. If the beam switching criteria is not met, operation may continue at 405. In some cases, the UE may provide measurement reports to the base station, and the base station may perform operations 430 and 435. In other cases, the UE may determine itself to trigger beam switching.

At 440, the UE may select a highest level parent beam (e.g., L1 beam, maximum level beam, or top level beam) for measurement. In some cases, such selection may be based on the UE mobility being less than a mobility threshold as determined at 410, which may indicate that the UE is stationary or moving slowly such that the beam measurements are not expected to change significantly over a relatively long period of time. At 445, the UE may measure each highest level beam at a first measurement interval. In some cases, the UE may measure one highest level beam in each round of measurements. In this case, the beam switching criteria determination at 430 may be based on the highest level beam measured so that measurement diversity may be provided to avoid local maxima that may be affected by hand blocking or other interference with the beam identified at 405. Operations at 430 and 435 may then be performed, as described above.

Fig. 5 illustrates a block diagram 500 of an apparatus 505 supporting techniques for beam selection based on measurement periodicity in accordance with aspects of the disclosure. The device 505 may be an example of aspects of the UE 115 as described herein. The device 505 may include a receiver 510, a transmitter 515, and a communication manager 520. The device 505 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

The receiver 510 may provide means for receiving information (such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof) associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels related to techniques for periodically beam selection based on measurements). The information may be passed to other components of the device 505. The receiver 510 may utilize a single antenna or may utilize a set of multiple antennas.

The transmitter 515 may provide a means for transmitting signals generated by other components of the device 505. For example, the transmitter 515 may transmit information (such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof) associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels related to techniques for beam selection based on measurement periodicity). In some examples, the transmitter 515 may be co-located with the receiver 510 in the transceiver module. The transmitter 515 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.

The communication manager 520, the receiver 510, the transmitter 515, or various combinations thereof, or various components thereof, may be examples of means for performing aspects of the techniques for beam selection based on measurement periodicity as described herein. For example, the communication manager 520, the receiver 510, the transmitter 515, or various combinations or components thereof may support methods for performing one or more of the functions described herein.

In some examples, the communication manager 520, the receiver 510, the transmitter 515, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., in communication management circuitry). The hardware may include processors, digital Signal Processors (DSPs), application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, or any combinations thereof, configured or otherwise supporting the elements described in the present disclosure. In some examples, a processor and a memory coupled to the processor may be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., by the processor executing instructions stored in the memory).

Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, the communication manager 520, the receiver 510, the transmitter 515, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in code (e.g., as communication management software or firmware) that is executed by a processor. If implemented in code executed by a processor, the functions of the communication manager 520, the receiver 510, the transmitter 515, or various combinations or components thereof, may be performed by a general purpose processor, a DSP, a Central Processing Unit (CPU), an ASIC, an FPGA, or any combination of these or other programmable logic devices (e.g., units configured or otherwise supporting the functions described in this disclosure).

In some examples, the communication manager 520 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receive, monitor, transmit) using the receiver 510, the transmitter 515, or both, or otherwise in cooperation with the receiver 510, the transmitter 515, or both. For example, communication manager 520 may receive information from receiver 510, send information to transmitter 515, or be integrated with receiver 510, transmitter 515, or a combination of both to receive information, send information, or perform various other operations as described herein.

According to examples as disclosed herein, the communication manager 520 may support wireless communication at the UE. For example, the communication manager 520 may be configured or otherwise support means for measuring a first channel characteristic of a service beam according to a first periodicity associated with transmission of one or more reference signals using the service beam. The communication manager 520 may be configured or otherwise support means for selecting one or more candidate beams for measurement from the set of available beams according to the first periodicity, the one or more candidate beams being selected based on signal strengths of the beams in the set of available beams. The communication manager 520 may be configured or otherwise support means for measuring a second channel characteristic of each of the one or more candidate beams according to the first periodicity. The communication manager 520 may be configured or otherwise support means for triggering a beam switch to a first candidate beam of the one or more candidate beams based on a first channel characteristic of the serving beam being below a threshold value.

Additionally or alternatively, the communication manager 520 may support wireless communication at the UE according to examples as disclosed herein. For example, the communication manager 520 may be configured or otherwise support means for selecting a first subset of beams from a set of available beams based on a codebook hierarchy associated with the first beam, the first beam having one or more channel metrics that exceed corresponding channel metrics of other beams in the set of available beams, wherein the first subset of beams is preferentially used for channel measurements. The communication manager 520 may be configured or otherwise support means for determining that the mobility of the UE is less than a threshold value. The communication manager 520 may be configured or otherwise support means for selecting a second subset of beams from the set of available beams based on the determination, the second subset of beams including a highest-level parent beam in the set of available beams. The communication manager 520 may be configured or otherwise support means for measuring channel characteristics of each beam in the first subset of beams at a first measurement interval and measuring channel characteristics of each beam in the second subset of beams at a second measurement interval having a periodicity longer than the first measurement interval. The communication manager 520 may be configured or otherwise support means for triggering beam switching to a first candidate beam in the second subset of beams based on the first candidate beam having measured channel characteristics exceeding the corresponding channel characteristics of each beam in the first subset of beams.

Additionally or alternatively, the communication manager 520 may support wireless communication at the UE according to examples as disclosed herein. For example, the communication manager 520 may be configured or otherwise support means for identifying a first subset of beams for channel measurements from a set of available beams based on a first serving beam for communication with a base station. The communication manager 520 may be configured or otherwise support means for selecting a second subset of beams for periodic channel measurements that includes one or more other beams than the first subset of beams based on mobility of the UE, wherein the second subset of beams includes a prioritized subset of beams based on previous measurement metrics or top beams included in a codebook of beams. The communication manager 520 may be configured or otherwise support means for measuring channel characteristics of the first subset of beams and the second subset of beams at a measurement interval. The communication manager 520 may be configured or otherwise support means for triggering beam switching to a first candidate beam based on the first candidate beam of the first subset of beams or the second subset of beams having measured channel characteristics that are higher than other measured channel characteristics of the first subset of beams and the second subset of beams.

By including or configuring the communication manager 520 according to examples as described herein, the device 505 (e.g., a processor that controls or is otherwise coupled to the receiver 510, the transmitter 515, the communication manager 520, or a combination thereof) may support techniques for beam measurement that may be more reliable for beam switch assessment, which may provide a reduced amount of time for beam switch determination and switching to a more preferred beam in the event of beam switch, and thus allow for increased throughput, reduced latency, improved user experience, longer battery life, and improved quality of service and reliability.

Fig. 6 illustrates a block diagram 600 of an apparatus 605 supporting techniques for beam selection based on measurement periodicity in accordance with aspects of the disclosure. The device 605 may be an example of aspects of the device 505 or UE 115 as described herein. The device 605 may include a receiver 610, a transmitter 615, and a communication manager 620. The device 605 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

The receiver 610 may provide means for receiving information (such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof) associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels related to techniques for beam selection based on measurement periodicity). Information may be passed to other components of the device 605. The receiver 610 may utilize a single antenna or may utilize a set of multiple antennas.

The transmitter 615 may provide a means for transmitting signals generated by other components of the device 605. For example, the transmitter 615 may transmit information (such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof) associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels related to techniques for beam selection based on measurement periodicity). In some examples, the transmitter 615 may be co-located with the receiver 610 in the transceiver module. The transmitter 615 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.

The device 605 or various components thereof may be an example of means for performing aspects of the techniques for beam selection based on measurement periodicity as described herein. For example, the communication manager 620 may include a measurement manager 625, a beam selection manager 630, a beam switch manager 635, a mobility detection manager 640, or any combination thereof. The communication manager 620 may be an example of aspects of the communication manager 520 as described herein. In some examples, the communication manager 620 or various components thereof may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receive, monitor, transmit) using, or otherwise in cooperation with, the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or both. For example, the communication manager 620 may receive information from the receiver 610, send information to the transmitter 615, or integrate with the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or both to receive information, send information, or perform various other operations as described herein.

According to examples as disclosed herein, the communication manager 620 may support wireless communication at the UE. The measurement manager 625 may be configured or otherwise enabled to measure a first channel characteristic of the service beam according to a first periodicity associated with transmission of one or more reference signals using the service beam. The beam selection manager 630 may be configured or otherwise support means for selecting one or more candidate beams for measurement from the set of available beams according to the first periodicity, the one or more candidate beams being selected based on signal strengths of the beams in the set of available beams. The measurement manager 625 may be configured or otherwise enabled to measure a second channel characteristic for each of the one or more candidate beams according to the first periodicity. The beam switch manager 635 may be configured or otherwise support means for triggering beam switches to a first candidate beam of the one or more candidate beams based on a first channel characteristic of the serving beam being below a threshold value.

Additionally or alternatively, the communication manager 620 may support wireless communication at the UE according to examples as disclosed herein. The beam selection manager 630 may be configured or otherwise support means for selecting a first subset of beams from the set of available beams based on a codebook hierarchy associated with the first beam, the first beam having one or more channel metrics that exceed corresponding channel metrics of other beams in the set of available beams, wherein the first subset of beams is preferentially used for channel measurements. The mobility detection manager 640 may be configured or otherwise support means for determining that the mobility of the UE is less than a threshold value. The beam selection manager 630 may be configured or otherwise support means for selecting a second subset of beams from the set of available beams based on the determination, the second subset of beams including a highest-level parent beam in the set of available beams. The measurement manager 625 may be configured or otherwise support means for measuring channel characteristics of each beam in the first subset of beams at a first measurement interval and measuring channel characteristics of each beam in the second subset of beams at a second measurement interval having a periodicity longer than the first measurement interval. The beam switching manager 635 may be configured or otherwise support means for triggering beam switching to a first candidate beam in the second subset of beams based on the first candidate beam having measured channel characteristics exceeding the corresponding channel characteristics of each beam in the first subset of beams.

Additionally or alternatively, the communication manager 620 may support wireless communication at the UE according to examples as disclosed herein. The beam selection manager 630 may be configured or otherwise support means for identifying a first subset of beams for channel measurements from a set of available beams based on a first serving beam for communication with an access network entity (e.g., a base station). The beam selection manager 630 may be configured or otherwise support means for selecting a second subset of beams for periodic channel measurements that includes one or more other beams than the first subset of beams based on mobility of the UE, wherein the second subset of beams includes a prioritized subset of beams based on previous measurement metrics or top-rank beams included in a beam codebook. The measurement manager 625 may be configured or otherwise support means for measuring channel characteristics of the first subset of beams and the second subset of beams at measurement intervals. The beam switching manager 635 may be configured or otherwise support means for triggering beam switching to the first candidate beam based on the first candidate beam of the first or second subset of beams having a measured channel characteristic that is higher than other measured channel characteristics of the first and second subsets of beams.

Fig. 7 illustrates a block diagram 700 of a communication manager 720 supporting techniques for beam selection based on measurement periodicity in accordance with aspects of the disclosure. Communication manager 720 may be an example of aspects of communication manager 520, communication manager 620, or both described herein. The communication manager 720, or various components thereof, may be an example of means for performing various aspects of the techniques for beam selection based on measurement periodicity as described herein. For example, communication manager 720 may include a measurement manager 725, a beam selection manager 730, a beam switch manager 735, a mobility detection manager 740, a beam codebook manager 745, a scheduling manager 750, or any combination thereof. Each of these components may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via one or more buses).

According to examples as disclosed herein, the communication manager 720 may support wireless communication at the UE. The measurement manager 725 may be configured or otherwise support means for measuring a first channel characteristic of the service beam according to a first periodicity associated with transmission of the one or more reference signals using the service beam. The beam selection manager 730 may be configured or otherwise support means for selecting one or more candidate beams for measurement from the set of available beams according to the first periodicity, the one or more candidate beams being selected based on signal strengths of the beams in the set of available beams. In some examples, the measurement manager 725 may be configured or otherwise support means for measuring a second channel characteristic of each of the one or more candidate beams according to the first periodicity. The beam switch manager 735 may be configured or otherwise support means for triggering beam switching to a first candidate beam of the one or more candidate beams based on a first channel characteristic of the serving beam being below a threshold value. In some examples, the measurement of the one or more candidate beams with the first periodicity provides consistent sampling and filtering of the one or more candidate beams and the serving beam for equivalent comparison of the associated channel characteristics. In some examples, to support measuring channel characteristics for a serving beam and for each of one or more candidate beams, the measurement manager 725 may be configured or otherwise support means for measuring channel characteristics for each beam on a per SSB basis. In some examples, the one or more candidate beams include up to a determined number of beams in the set of available beams within a measurement difference threshold of the serving beam.

In some examples, the beam selection manager 730 may be configured or otherwise support means for updating the selected one or more candidate beams after each measurement period of the first periodicity. In some examples, each measurement period includes a set of measurement occasions, and when there are fewer candidate beams than there are occasions to measure one or more beams in the measurement period other than the one or more candidate beams. In some examples, one or more beams of the set of available beams other than the one or more candidate beams are selected for inclusion in the prioritized subset of beams based on one or more previous measured metrics, codebook levels, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the one or more previous measurement metrics identify a prioritized subset of beams as beams having one or more of RSRP or SNR that exceeds an amount determined by corresponding measurement metrics of other beams, and wherein the codebook hierarchy indicates one or more beams associated with the serving beam. In some examples, selecting the one or more candidate beams is based on the detected mobility of the UE exceeding a threshold value.

Additionally or alternatively, according to examples as disclosed herein, the communication manager 720 may support wireless communication at the UE. In some examples, the beam selection manager 730 may be configured or otherwise support means for selecting a first subset of beams from a set of available beams based on a codebook hierarchy associated with the first beam, the first beam having one or more channel metrics that exceed corresponding channel metrics of other beams in the set of available beams, wherein the first subset of beams is preferentially used for channel measurements. Mobility detection manager 740 may be configured or otherwise support means for determining that the mobility of the UE is less than a threshold value. In some examples, beam selection manager 730 may be configured or otherwise support means for selecting a second subset of beams from the set of available beams based on the determination, the second subset of beams including a highest-level parent beam in the set of available beams. In some examples, the measurement manager 725 may be configured or otherwise support means for measuring channel characteristics of each of the first subset of beams at a first measurement interval and measuring channel characteristics of each of the second subset of beams at a second measurement interval having a periodicity longer than the first measurement interval. In some examples, the beam switching manager 735 may be configured or otherwise support means for triggering beam switching to a first candidate beam in the second subset of beams based on the first candidate beam having measured channel characteristics exceeding corresponding channel characteristics of each beam in the first subset of beams.

In some examples, the codebook hierarchy indicates one or more parent beams, child beams, neighbor beams, or any combination thereof associated with the first beam. In some examples, the first beam is selected based on being associated with a boresight of an antenna panel of the UE, the antenna panel having LoS with an access network entity antenna, one or more measurement metrics, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the codebook hierarchy is a union of all neighboring beam relationships with the first beam in a codebook provided by the access network entity based on free space beam characteristics. In some examples, the second measurement interval corresponds to one beam of the second subset of beams of each first measurement interval. In some examples, each beam in the second subset of beams is measured once per a second number of measurement intervals corresponding to the number of beams in the second subset of beams. In some examples, one or more beams of the first subset of beams are scheduled for measurement in measurement occasions that are not used to measure one or more beams of the second subset of beams. In some examples, the second measurement interval is selected to provide one or more measurements of each beam in the first subset of beams with a higher periodicity than the measurements of each beam in the second subset of beams. In some examples, the mobility of the UE is determined based on IMU sensor measurements, and wherein the threshold value is associated with relatively slow or no UE movement measured at the IMU. In some examples, measuring channel characteristics for the second subset of beams provides for performing beam switching in the event of a hand-blockage associated with the first subset of beams.

Additionally or alternatively, according to examples as disclosed herein, the communication manager 720 may support wireless communication at the UE. In some examples, the beam selection manager 730 may be configured or otherwise support means for identifying a first subset of beams for channel measurements from a set of available beams based on a first serving beam for communication with an access network entity. In some examples, the beam selection manager 730 may be configured or otherwise support means for selecting a second subset of beams for periodic channel measurements, including one or more other beams than the first subset of beams, based on mobility of the UE, wherein the second subset of beams includes a prioritized subset of beams based on previous measurement metrics or top-rank beams included in the beam codebook. In some examples, the measurement manager 725 may be configured or otherwise support means for measuring channel characteristics of the first subset of beams and the second subset of beams at a measurement interval. In some examples, the beam switching manager 735 may be configured or otherwise support means for triggering beam switching to a first candidate beam based on the first candidate beam of the first subset of beams or the second subset of beams having measured channel characteristics that are higher than other measured channel characteristics of the first subset of beams and the second subset of beams.

In some examples, the second subset of beams includes one or more beams selected for inclusion in the prioritized subset of beams based on one or more previous measurement metrics. In some examples, the one or more previous measurement metrics identify the prioritized subset of beams as beams having one or more of RSRP or SNR that exceeds an amount determined by the corresponding measurement metrics of the other beams. In some examples, the first subset of wavenumbers includes one or more parent beams, child beams, neighbor beams, or any combination thereof associated with the first service beam. In some examples, the first service beam is selected based on being associated with a boresight of an antenna panel of the UE, the antenna panel having LoS with an access network entity antenna, one or more measurement metrics, or any combination thereof. In some examples, one or more beams of the first subset of beams are scheduled for measurement in measurement occasions that are not used to measure one or more beams of the second subset of beams.

Fig. 8 illustrates a diagram of a system 800 that includes a device 805 that supports techniques for beam selection based on measurement periodicity in accordance with aspects of the disclosure. Device 805 may be or include examples of components of device 505, device 605, or UE 115 described herein. The device 805 may communicate wirelessly with one or more base stations 105, UEs 115, or any combination thereof. Device 805 may include components for bi-directional voice and data communications, including components for sending and receiving communications, such as a communications manager 820, an input/output (I/O) controller 810, a transceiver 815, an antenna 825, a memory 830, code 835, and a processor 840. These components may be in electronic communication or otherwise coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically coupled) via one or more buses (e.g., bus 845).

The I/O controller 810 may manage input and output signals for the device 805. The I/O controller 810 may also manage peripheral devices that are not integrated into the device 805. In some cases, I/O controller 810 may indicate a physical connection or port for an external peripheral device. In some cases, I/O controller 810 may utilize a controller such as, for exampleMS-MS-/>OS//>Such as an operating system or another known operating system. Additionally or alternatively, I/O controller 810 may represent a modem, keyboard, mouse, touch screen, or similar device orThe user interacts with the device. In some cases, I/O controller 810 may be implemented as part of a processor, such as processor 840. In some cases, a user may interact with device 805 via I/O controller 810 or via hardware components controlled by I/O controller 810.

In some cases, device 805 may include a single antenna 825. However, in some other cases, the device 805 may have more than one antenna 825 capable of sending or receiving multiple wireless transmissions simultaneously. The transceiver 815 may communicate bi-directionally via one or more antennas 825, wired or wireless links as described herein. For example, transceiver 815 may represent a wireless transceiver and may be in two-way communication with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 815 may also include a modem to modulate packets, provide the modulated packets to one or more antennas 825 for transmission, and demodulate packets received from the one or more antennas 825. The transceiver 815 or transceiver 815 and one or more antennas 825 may be examples of a transmitter 515, a transmitter 615, a receiver 510, a receiver 610, or any combination or component thereof, as described herein.

Memory 830 may include Random Access Memory (RAM) or Read Only Memory (ROM). Memory 830 may include stored computer-readable, computer-executable code 835 of instructions that, when executed by processor 840, cause device 805 to perform the various functions described herein. Code 835 can be stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium such as a system memory or another type of memory. In some cases, code 835 may not be directly executable by processor 840, but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform the functions described herein. In some cases, memory 830 may contain a basic I/O system (BIOS) or the like, which may control basic hardware or software operations (e.g., interactions with peripheral components or devices).

Processor 840 may include intelligent hardware devices (e.g., general purpose processors, DSPs, CPUs, microcontrollers, ASICs, FPGAs, programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combinations thereof). In some cases, processor 840 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some other cases, a memory controller may be integrated into processor 840. Processor 840 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., memory 830) to cause device 805 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks that support techniques for beam selection based on measurement periodicity). For example, device 805 or components of device 805 may include a processor 840 and a memory 830 coupled to processor 840, processor 840 and memory 830 configured to perform the various functions described herein.

According to examples as disclosed herein, communication manager 820 may support wireless communication at a UE. For example, communication manager 820 may be configured or otherwise support means for measuring a first channel characteristic of a service beam according to a first periodicity associated with transmission of one or more reference signals using the service beam. Communication manager 820 may be configured or otherwise support means for selecting one or more candidate beams for measurement from a set of available beams according to a first periodicity, the one or more candidate beams being selected based on signal strengths of beams in the set of available beams. Communication manager 820 may be configured or otherwise support means for measuring a second channel characteristic for each of the one or more candidate beams according to the first periodicity. Communication manager 820 may be configured or otherwise support means for triggering a beam switch to a first candidate beam of the one or more candidate beams based on a first channel characteristic of the serving beam being below a threshold value.

Additionally or alternatively, communication manager 820 may support wireless communication at a UE according to examples as disclosed herein. For example, communication manager 820 may be configured or otherwise support means for selecting a first subset of beams from a set of available beams based on a codebook hierarchy associated with the first beam, the first beam having one or more channel metrics that exceed corresponding channel metrics of other beams in the set of available beams, wherein the first subset of beams is preferentially used for channel measurements. Communication manager 820 may be configured or otherwise support means for determining that mobility of a UE is less than a threshold value. Communication manager 820 may be configured or otherwise support means for selecting a second subset of beams from the set of available beams based on the determination, the second subset of beams including a highest-level parent beam in the set of available beams. Communication manager 820 may be configured or otherwise support means for measuring channel characteristics for each beam in the first subset of beams at a first measurement interval and measuring channel characteristics for each beam in the second subset of beams at a second measurement interval having a periodicity longer than the first measurement interval. Communication manager 820 may be configured or otherwise support means for triggering beam switching to a first candidate beam in the second subset of beams based on the first candidate beam having measured channel characteristics exceeding the corresponding channel characteristics of each beam in the first subset of beams.

Additionally or alternatively, communication manager 820 may support wireless communication at a UE according to examples as disclosed herein. For example, communication manager 820 may be configured or otherwise support means for identifying a first subset of beams for channel measurements from a set of available beams based on a first service beam for communication with an access network entity. Communication manager 820 may be configured or otherwise support means for selecting a second subset of beams for periodic channel measurements that includes one or more other beams than the first subset of beams based on mobility of the UE, wherein the second subset of beams includes a prioritized subset of beams based on previous measurement metrics or top beams included in a codebook of beams. Communication manager 820 may be configured or otherwise support means for measuring channel characteristics of the first subset of beams and the second subset of beams at a measurement interval. Communication manager 820 may be configured or otherwise support means for triggering beam switching to a first candidate beam based on the first candidate beam of the first subset of beams or the second subset of beams having measured channel characteristics that are higher than other measured channel characteristics of the first subset of beams and the second subset of beams.

By including or configuring the communication manager 820 according to examples as described herein, the device 805 may support techniques for beam measurement that may be more reliably used for beam switch evaluation, which may provide a reduced amount of time for beam switch determination and switch to a more preferred beam in the event of beam switch, and thus allow for increased throughput, reduced latency, improved user experience, longer battery life, and improved quality of service and reliability.

In some examples, communication manager 820 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receive, monitor, transmit) using or in cooperation with transceiver 815, one or more antennas 825, or any combination thereof. Although communication manager 820 is shown as a separate component, in some examples, one or more of the functions described with reference to communication manager 820 may be supported or performed by processor 840, memory 830, code 835, or any combination thereof. For example, code 835 may include instructions executable by processor 840 to cause device 805 to perform various aspects of the techniques for beam selection based on measurement periodicity as described herein, or processor 840 and memory 830 may be otherwise configured to perform or support such operations.

Fig. 9 illustrates a flow chart 900 of a method 900 supporting techniques for beam selection based on measurement periodicity in accordance with aspects of the disclosure. The operations of method 900 may be implemented by a UE or components thereof as described herein. For example, the operations of method 900 may be performed by UE 115 as described with reference to fig. 1-8. In some examples, the UE may execute a set of instructions to control functional elements of the UE to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the described functionality.

At 905, the method may include measuring a first channel characteristic of a serving beam based on a first periodicity associated with transmission of one or more reference signals using the serving beam. The operations of 905 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 905 may be performed by the measurement manager 725 as described with reference to fig. 7.

At 910, the method may include selecting one or more candidate beams for measurement from a set of available beams according to a first periodicity, the one or more candidate beams selected based on signal strengths of beams in the set of available beams. The operations of 910 may be performed according to examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 910 may be performed by beam selection manager 730 as described with reference to fig. 7.

At 915, the method may include measuring a second channel characteristic of each of the one or more candidate beams according to the first periodicity. 915 may be performed according to examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 915 may be performed by the measurement manager 725 as described with reference to fig. 7.

At 920, the method may include triggering a beam switch to a first candidate beam of the one or more candidate beams based on the first channel characteristic of the serving beam being below a threshold value. The operations of 920 may be performed according to examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 920 may be performed by the beam switching manager 735 as described with reference to fig. 7.

Fig. 10 illustrates a flow chart 1000 supporting a method 1000 for periodically beam selection based on measurements in accordance with aspects of the disclosure. The operations of method 1000 may be implemented by a UE or components thereof as described herein. For example, the operations of method 1000 may be performed by UE 115 as described with reference to fig. 1-8. In some examples, the UE may execute a set of instructions to control functional elements of the UE to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the described functionality.

At 1005, the method may include selecting a first subset of beams from a set of available beams based on a codebook hierarchy associated with the first beam, the first beam having one or more channel metrics that exceed corresponding channel metrics of other beams in the set of available beams, wherein the first subset of beams is prioritized for channel measurement. Operations of 1005 may be performed according to examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1005 may be performed by the beam selection manager 730 as described with reference to fig. 7.

At 1010, the method may include determining that mobility of the UE is less than a threshold value. The operations of 1010 may be performed according to examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, some aspects of the operation of 1010 may be performed by mobility detection manager 740 described with reference to fig. 7.

At 1015, the method may include selecting a second subset of beams from the set of available beams based on the determination, the second subset of beams including a highest-level parent beam in the set of available beams. 1015 may be performed according to examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1015 may be performed by the beam selection manager 730 as described with reference to fig. 7.

At 1020, the method may include measuring channel characteristics of each beam in the first subset of beams at a first measurement interval and measuring channel characteristics of each beam in the second subset of beams at a second measurement interval having a periodicity longer than the first measurement interval. Operations of 1020 may be performed according to examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1020 may be performed by the measurement manager 725 as described with reference to fig. 7.

At 1025, the method may include triggering a beam switch to the first candidate beam based on the first candidate beam in the second subset of beams having measured channel characteristics that exceed corresponding channel characteristics of each beam in the first subset of beams. 1025 may be performed according to examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1025 may be performed by beam switch manager 735 as described with reference to fig. 7.

Fig. 11 illustrates a flow chart 1100 supporting a method 1100 for periodically beam selection based on measurements in accordance with aspects of the disclosure. The operations of method 1100 may be implemented by a UE or components thereof as described herein. For example, the operations of method 1100 may be performed by UE 115 as described with reference to fig. 1-8. In some examples, the UE may execute a set of instructions to control functional elements of the UE to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the described functionality.

At 1105, the method may include identifying a first subset of beams from a set of available beams for channel measurement based on a first serving beam for communication with an access network entity. The operations of 1105 may be performed according to examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1105 may be performed by beam selection manager 730 as described with reference to fig. 7.

At 1110, the method may include selecting a second subset of beams including one or more other beams than the first subset of beams for periodic channel measurements based on mobility of the UE, wherein the second subset of beams includes a prioritized subset of beams based on previous measurement metrics or top beams included in the codebook of beams. 1110 may be performed according to examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1110 may be performed by beam selection manager 730 as described with reference to fig. 7.

At 1115, the method may include measuring channel characteristics for the first subset of beams and the second subset of beams at a measurement interval. 1115 may be performed according to examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1115 may be performed by the measurement manager 725 as described with reference to fig. 7.

At 1120, the method may include triggering beam switching to the first candidate beam based on the first candidate beam of the first subset of beams or the second subset of beams having measured channel characteristics that are higher than other measured channel characteristics of the first subset of beams and the second subset of beams. The operations of 1120 may be performed according to examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1120 may be performed by beam switch manager 735 as described with reference to fig. 7.

The following provides an overview of some aspects of the disclosure:

aspect 1: a method for wireless communication at a UE, comprising: measuring a first channel characteristic of a serving beam according to a first periodicity associated with transmission of one or more reference signals using the serving beam; selecting one or more candidate beams from a set of available beams for measurement according to the first periodicity, the one or more candidate beams selected based at least in part on signal strengths of beams in the set of available beams; measuring a second channel characteristic of each of the one or more candidate beams according to the first periodicity; and triggering a beam switch to a first candidate beam of the one or more candidate beams based at least in part on the first channel characteristic of the serving beam being below a threshold value.

Aspect 2: the method of aspect 1, wherein the measurement of the one or more candidate beams with the first periodicity provides consistent sampling and filtering of the one or more candidate beams and the serving beam for equivalent comparison of associated channel characteristics.

Aspect 3: the method of any of claims 1-2, wherein measuring channel characteristics for the serving beam and for each of the one or more candidate beams comprises: the channel characteristics of each beam are measured on a per SSB basis.

Aspect 4: the method of any of claims 1-3, wherein the one or more candidate beams comprise up to a determined number of beams in the set of available beams that are within a measurement difference threshold of the serving beam.

Aspect 5: the method of aspect 4, further comprising: after each measurement period of the first periodicity, the selected one or more candidate beams are updated.

Aspect 6: the method of aspect 5, wherein each measurement period comprises a set of measurement occasions and when there are fewer candidate beams than there are occasions to measure one or more beams other than the one or more candidate beams in the measurement period.

Aspect 7: the method of any of aspects 1-6, wherein one or more beams of the set of available beams other than the one or more candidate beams are selected for inclusion in the prioritized subset of beams based on one or more previous measurement metrics, codebook levels, or any combination thereof.

Aspect 8: the method of aspect 7, wherein the one or more previous measurement metrics identify the prioritized subset of beams as beams having one or more of RSRP or SNR that exceeds an amount determined by corresponding measurement metrics of other beams, and wherein the codebook hierarchy indicates one or more beams associated with the serving beam.

Aspect 9: the method of any one of aspects 1-8, wherein the selection of the one or more candidate beams is based at least in part on a detected mobility of the UE exceeding a threshold value.

Aspect 10: a method for wireless communication at a UE, comprising: selecting a first subset of beams from a set of available beams based at least in part on a codebook hierarchy associated with the first beam, the first beam having one or more channel metrics that exceed corresponding channel metrics of other beams in the set of available beams, wherein the first subset of beams is prioritized for channel measurement; determining that the mobility of the UE is less than a threshold value; selecting a second subset of beams from the set of available beams based at least in part on the determining, the second subset of beams including a highest-level parent beam in the set of available beams; measuring channel characteristics of each beam in the first subset of beams at a first measurement interval and measuring channel characteristics of each beam in the second subset of beams at a second measurement interval having a longer periodicity than the first measurement interval; and triggering a beam switch to a first candidate beam in the second subset of beams based at least in part on the first candidate beam having measured channel characteristics exceeding corresponding channel characteristics of each beam in the first subset of beams.

Aspect 11: the method of aspect 10, wherein the codebook hierarchy indicates one or more parent beams, child beams, neighbor beams, or any combination thereof associated with the first beam.

Aspect 12: the method of any of claims 10-11, wherein the first beam is selected based at least in part on being associated with a boresight of an antenna panel of the UE having LoS with an access network entity antenna, one or more measurement metrics, or any combination thereof.

Aspect 13: the method of any of claims 10 to 12, wherein the codebook hierarchy is a union of all neighboring beam relationships with the first beam in a codebook provided by an access network entity based at least in part on free space beam characteristics.

Aspect 14: the method of any of claims 10 to 13, wherein the second measurement interval corresponds to one beam of the second subset of beams of each first measurement interval.

Aspect 15: the method of aspect 14, wherein each beam in the second subset of beams is measured once per a second number of measurement intervals corresponding to a number of beams in the second subset of beams.

Aspect 16: the method of any of claims 10 to 15, wherein one or more beams of the first subset of beams are scheduled for measurement in measurement occasions not used for measuring one or more beams of the second subset of beams.

Aspect 17: the method of aspect 16, wherein the second measurement interval is selected to provide one or more measurements of each beam in the first subset of beams with a higher periodicity than the measurements of each beam in the second subset of beams.

Aspect 18: the method of any of aspects 10-17, wherein the mobility of the UE is determined based at least in part on IMU sensor measurements, and wherein the threshold value is associated with relatively slow or no UE movement measured at the IMU.

Aspect 19: the method of any of claims 10 to 18, wherein measuring channel characteristics for the second subset of beams provides for the beam switching to be performed in the event of a hand-blockage associated with the first subset of beams.

Aspect 20: a method for wireless communication at a UE, comprising: identifying a first subset of beams from a set of available beams for channel measurement based at least in part on a first serving beam for communication with an access network entity; selecting a second subset of beams for periodic channel measurements based at least in part on mobility of the UE, the second subset of beams comprising one or more other beams other than the first subset of beams, wherein the second subset of beams comprises a prioritized subset of beams based on previous measurement metrics or a top beam included in a codebook of beams; measuring channel characteristics for the first subset of beams and the second subset of beams at a measurement interval; and triggering a beam switch to a first candidate beam of the first subset of beams or the second subset of beams based at least in part on the first candidate beam having a measured channel characteristic that is higher than other measured channel characteristics of the first subset of beams and the second subset of beams.

Aspect 21: the method of aspect 20, wherein the second subset of beams comprises one or more beams selected for inclusion in the prioritized subset of beams based on one or more previous measurement metrics.

Aspect 22: the method of aspect 21, wherein the one or more previous measurement metrics identify the prioritized subset of beams as beams having one or more of RSRP or SNR that exceeds an amount determined by corresponding measurement metrics of other beams.

Aspect 23: the method of any of claims 20-22, wherein the first subset of beams comprises one or more parent beams, child beams, neighbor beams, or any combination thereof associated with the first serving beam.

Aspect 24: the method of any of aspects 20-23, wherein the first serving beam is selected based at least in part on being associated with a line of sight of an antenna panel of the UE having LoS with an access network entity antenna, one or more measurement metrics, or any combination thereof.

Aspect 25: the method of any of claims 20-24, wherein one or more beams of the first subset of beams are scheduled for measurement in measurement occasions not used for measuring one or more beams of the second subset of beams.

Aspect 26: an apparatus for wireless communication at a UE, comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform the method of any one of aspects 1 to 9.

Aspect 27: an apparatus for wireless communication at a UE, comprising at least one unit to perform the method of any one of aspects 1 to 9.

Aspect 28: a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a UE, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform the method of any one of aspects 1 to 9.

Aspect 29: an apparatus for wireless communication at a UE, comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform the method of any one of aspects 10 to 19.

Aspect 30: an apparatus for wireless communication at a UE, comprising at least one unit to perform the method of any one of aspects 10 to 19.

Aspect 31: a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a UE, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform the method of any of aspects 10 to 19.

Aspect 32: an apparatus for wireless communication at a UE, comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform the method of any one of aspects 20 to 25.

Aspect 33: an apparatus for wireless communication at a UE, comprising at least one unit to perform the method of any one of aspects 20 to 25.

Aspect 34: a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a UE, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform the method of any of aspects 20 to 25.

It should be noted that the methods described herein describe possible implementations, and that operations and steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified, as well as other implementations are possible. Furthermore, aspects from two or more of the methods may be combined.

Although aspects of the LTE, LTE-A, LTE-Pro or NR system may be described for purposes of example, and LTE, LTE-A, LTE-a Pro or NR terminology may be used in much of the description, the techniques described herein are applicable beyond LTE, LTE-A, LTE-a Pro or NR networks. For example, the described techniques may be applicable to various other wireless communication systems such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, flash-OFDM, and other systems and radio technologies not explicitly mentioned herein.

The information and signals described herein may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

The various illustrative blocks and components described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, CPU, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof, designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software for execution by a processor, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Other examples and implementations are within the scope of the present application and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described herein may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwired or a combination of any of these items. Features that implement the functions may also be physically located at various locations including being distributed such that each portion of the functions are implemented at different physical locations.

Computer-readable media includes both non-transitory computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Non-transitory storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, compact Disk (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code elements in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Further, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital Subscriber Line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of computer-readable medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes CD, laser disc, optical disc, digital Versatile Disc (DVD), floppy disk and blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.

As used herein (including in the claims), an "or" as used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items ending with a phrase such as "at least one of" or "one or more of") indicates an inclusive list, such that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B or C means a or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., a and B and C). Furthermore, as used herein, the phrase "based on" should not be construed as a reference to a closed condition set. For example, example steps described as "based on condition a" may be based on both condition a and condition B without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase "based on" should be interpreted in the same manner as the phrase "based at least in part on".

The term "determining" or "determining" encompasses a wide variety of actions, and thus "determining" may include calculating, computing, processing, deriving, studying, querying (e.g., via querying in a table, database, or other data structure), ascertaining, and the like. Further, "determining" may also include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory), and so forth. Further, "determining" may also include resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, and other similar actions.

In the drawings, similar components or features may have the same reference numerals. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label by a dash and a second label that distinguishes among the similar components. If only the first reference label is used in the specification, the description applies to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label without regard to the second reference label or other subsequent reference labels.

The description set forth herein in connection with the appended drawings describes example configurations and is not intended to represent all examples that may be implemented or within the scope of the claims. The term "example" as used herein means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration," rather than "preferred" or "advantageous over other examples. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing an understanding of the described technology. However, the techniques may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the examples.

The description herein is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication at a User Equipment (UE), comprising:

measuring a first channel characteristic of a serving beam according to a first periodicity associated with transmission of one or more reference signals using the serving beam;

selecting one or more candidate beams from a set of available beams for measurement according to the first periodicity, the one or more candidate beams selected based at least in part on signal strengths of beams in the set of available beams;

measuring a second channel characteristic of each of the one or more candidate beams according to the first periodicity; and

a beam switch to a first candidate beam of the one or more candidate beams is triggered based at least in part on the first channel characteristic of the serving beam being below a threshold value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the measurement of the one or more candidate beams at the first periodicity provides consistent sampling and filtering of the one or more candidate beams and the serving beam for equivalent comparison of associated channel characteristics.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the measuring the first channel characteristic for the serving beam and the second channel characteristic for each of the one or more candidate beams comprises:

The channel characteristics of each respective beam are measured on a per Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) basis.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more candidate beams comprise up to a determined number of beams in the set of available beams that are within a measurement difference threshold of the serving beam.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

after each measurement period of the first periodicity, the selected one or more candidate beams are updated.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each measurement period comprises a set of measurement occasions and when there are fewer candidate beams than there are occasions to measure one or more beams other than the one or more candidate beams in the measurement period.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more beams of the set of available beams other than the one or more candidate beams are selected for inclusion in the prioritized subset of beams based on one or more previous measured metrics, codebook levels, or any combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more previous measurement metrics identify the prioritized subset of beams as beams having one or more of Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) or signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) that exceeds an amount determined by corresponding measurement metrics of other beams, and wherein the codebook hierarchy indicates one or more beams associated with the serving beam.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection of the one or more candidate beams is based at least in part on a detected mobility of the UE exceeding a threshold mobility value.

10. A method for wireless communication at a User Equipment (UE), comprising:

selecting a first subset of beams from a set of available beams based at least in part on a codebook hierarchy associated with the first beam, the first beam having one or more channel metrics that exceed corresponding channel metrics of other beams in the set of available beams, wherein the first subset of beams is prioritized for channel measurement;

determining that the mobility of the UE is less than a threshold value;

selecting a second subset of beams from the set of available beams based at least in part on the determining, the second subset of beams including a highest-level parent beam in the set of available beams;

measuring channel characteristics of each beam in the first subset of beams at a first measurement interval and measuring channel characteristics of each beam in the second subset of beams at a second measurement interval having a longer periodicity than the first measurement interval; and

Beam switching to a first candidate beam in the second subset of beams is triggered based at least in part on the first candidate beam having measured channel characteristics that exceed corresponding channel characteristics of each beam in the first subset of beams.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the codebook hierarchy indicates one or more parent beams, child beams, neighbor beams, or any combination thereof associated with the first beam.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first beam is selected based at least in part on being associated with a boresight of an antenna panel of the UE having a line of sight (LoS) with an access network entity antenna, one or more measurement metrics, or any combination thereof.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the codebook hierarchy is a union of all neighboring beam relationships with the first beam in a codebook provided by an access network entity based at least in part on free space beam characteristics.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the second measurement interval corresponds to one beam of the second subset of beams of each first measurement interval.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein each beam in the second subset of beams is measured once per a second number of measurement intervals corresponding to a number of beams in the second subset of beams.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein one or more beams of the first subset of beams are scheduled for measurement in measurement occasions not used for measuring one or more beams of the second subset of beams.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the second measurement interval is selected to provide one or more measurements of each beam in the first subset of beams with a higher periodicity than the measurements of each beam in the second subset of beams.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the mobility of the UE is determined based at least in part on Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) sensor measurements, and wherein the threshold value is associated with relatively slow or no UE movement measured at the IMU.

19. The method of claim 10, wherein the measuring provides for channel characteristics of the second subset of beams to perform the beam switching if a hand-off associated with the first subset of beams occurs.

20. A method for wireless communication at a User Equipment (UE), comprising:

identifying a first subset of beams from a set of available beams for channel measurement based at least in part on a first serving beam for communication with an access network entity;

selecting a second subset of beams for periodic channel measurements based at least in part on mobility of the UE, the second subset of beams comprising one or more other beams other than the first subset of beams, wherein the second subset of beams comprises a prioritized subset of beams based on previous measurement metrics or a top beam included in a codebook of beams;

measuring channel characteristics for the first subset of beams and the second subset of beams at a measurement interval; and

a beam switch to a first candidate beam of the first subset of beams or the second subset of beams is triggered based at least in part on the first candidate beam having a measured channel characteristic that is higher than other measured channel characteristics of the first subset of beams and the second subset of beams.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the second subset of beams comprises one or more beams selected for inclusion in the prioritized subset of beams based on one or more previous measurement metrics.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the one or more previous measurement metrics identify the prioritized subset of beams as beams having one or more of Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) or signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) that exceeds an amount determined by corresponding measurement metrics of other beams.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the first subset of beams comprises one or more parent beams, child beams, neighbor beams, or any combination thereof associated with the first service beam.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the first serving beam is selected based at least in part on being associated with a boresight of an antenna panel of the UE having a line of sight (LoS) with an access network entity antenna, one or more measurement metrics, or any combination thereof.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein one or more beams of the first subset of beams are scheduled for measurement in measurement occasions not used for measurement of one or more beams of the second subset of beams.

26. An apparatus for wireless communication at a User Equipment (UE), comprising:

a processor;

A memory coupled to the processor; and

instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the measurement of the one or more candidate beams at the first periodicity provides consistent sampling and filtering of the one or more candidate beams and the serving beam for equivalent comparison of associated channel characteristics.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the instructions for measuring the first channel characteristic for the serving beam and the second channel characteristic for each of the one or more candidate beams are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:

29. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the one or more candidate beams comprise up to a determined number of beams in the set of available beams that are within a measurement difference threshold of the serving beam.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: