WO2018063436A1

WO2018063436A1 - Measurement reporting with number of available beams

Info

Publication number: WO2018063436A1
Application number: PCT/US2017/020429
Authority: WO
Inventors: Candy YIU; Song Noh; Nageen Himayat; Qian Li; Sarabjot SINGH; Yang Tang; Rui Huang
Original assignee: Intel IP Corporation
Priority date: 2016-09-29
Filing date: 2017-03-02
Publication date: 2018-04-05

Abstract

Devices and methods of measurement reporting with number of available beams are generally described. A UE can decode a Measurement Configuration Information Element (IE) from a source serving cell, the Measurement Configuration IE including a request for available beams with a power level above a power threshold. In response to detecting an event trigger, a handover from the source serving cell to another serving cell is initiated. Measurements of neighboring cells is performed to determine the available beams for a plurality of frequencies within a frequency range. A Measurement Report message is encoded for transmission to the source serving cell with a handover request, the Measurement Report message identifying the available beams for the plurality of frequencies. In response to the handover request, a handover instruction is decoded, the handover instruction identifying one of the available beams and a corresponding one of the frequencies for use after the handover.

Description

MEASUREMENT REPORTING WITH NUMBER OF AVAILABLE

BEAMS

PRIORITY CLAIM

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority to United

States Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62/401,427, filed

September 29, 2016, and entitled "MEASUREMENT REPORTING WITH NUMBER OF AVAILABLE BEAMS FOR THE CELLS," which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] Embodiments pertain to wireless communications. Some embodiments relate to wireless networks including 3GPP (Third

Generation Partnership Project) networks, 3 GPP LTE (Long Term

Evolution) networks, 3 GPP LTE- A (LTE Advanced) networks, and fifth- generation (5G) networks. Other embodiments are directed to measurement reporting with number of available beams in beamforming systems.

[0003] Mobile data usage continues growing exponentially at a rate of nearly doubling year-after-year, and this trend is expected to continue. Although recent advances in cellular technology have made improvements in the performance and capacity of mobile networks, it is widely thought that such advances will still fall short of accommodating the anticipated demand for mobile data network service.

[0004] One approach to increasing mobile network capacity is utilizing higher-frequency radio bands. Millimeter-wave communications, for example, use radio frequencies in the range of 30-300 GHz to provide colossal bandwidth by today's standards - on the order of 20 Gb/s, for example. The propagation of millimeter-wave radio signals differs considerably from more familiar radio signals in the 2-5 GHz range. For one, their range is signifi cantly limited by comparison due to attenuation in the atmosphere. In addition, millimeter- wave signals experience blockage, reflections, refractions, and scattering due to walls, buildings and other objects to a much greater extent than lower-frequency signals. These physical challenges also present some useful opportunities for

communication system designers. For example, the limited range of millimeter-wave transmissions make them suitable for resource-element (time slot and frequency) reuse in high-density deployments in city blocks, office buildings, schools, stadiums, and the like, where there may be a large plurality of user equipment devices. In addition, the potential for precise directionality control provides opportunity to make extensive use of multi- user multiple input/multiple output (MU-MIMO) techniques. Solutions are needed to make practical use of these opportunities in highly-directional wireless networks.

[0005] Millimeter-wave or similar high-frequency communication systems typically employ a directional beaniforming at the base station and user equipment in order to achieve a suitable signal-to-noise ratio (S R) for link establishment and to overcome communication channel blockage issues that are common for 5G/new radio (NR) communications. The use of beaniforming in 5G communications results in even higher probability of channel blockage due to narrow beams from the network and/or UE sides. Acquisition/access procedures, which provide the base station and the user equipment a procedure with which to determine the best transmit and receive beaniforming directions, are some of the most important aspects in the design and implementation of millimeter-wave or higher frequency com m u ni cati on sy stem s .

[0006] In the figures, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like numerals may describe similar components in different views. Like numerals having different letter suffixes may represent different instances of similar components. The figures illustrate generally, by way of example, but not by way of limitation, various embodiments discussed in the present document. [0007] FIG. 1 A is a diagram of a wireless network in accordance with some embodiments.

[0008] FIG. IB is a simplified diagram of a next generation wireless network in accordance with some embodiments.

[0009] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a User Equipment (HE) in accordance with some embodiments.

[0010] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an Evolved Node-B (e B) in accordance with some embodiments,

[0011] FIG. 4 illustrates examples of multiple beam transmission in accordance with some embodiments,

[0012] FIG. 5 is a diagram of a wireless network including multiple transmission-reception points (TRPs) using measurement reporting of available beams in accordance with some embodiments,

[0013] FIG. 6 illustrates an example Measurement Configuration Information Element used in connection with reporting of available beams in accordance with some embodiments.

[0014] FIG. 7 illustrates an example Measurement Report

Information Element used in connection with reporting of available beams in accordance with some embodiments,

[0015] FIG. 8 is a diagram of a communication exchange for available beam reporting in accordance with some embodiments.

[0016] FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating example functionalities for available beam reporting in beamforming systems in accordance with some embodiments.

[0017] FIG. 10 illustrates a block diagram of a communication device such as an eNB or a UE, in accordance with some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The following description and the drawings sufficiently illustrate specific embodiments to enable those skilled in the art to practice them. Other embodiments may incorporate structural, logical, electrical, process, and other changes. Portions and features of some embodiments may be included in, or substituted for, those of other embodiments.

Embodiments set forth in the claims encompass all available equivalents of those claims.

[0019] FIG. 1 A is a diagram of a wireless network in accordance with some embodiments. In particular, FIG. 1 A shows an example of a portion of an end-to-end network architecture of a 3 GPP network with various components of the network in accordance with some embodiments. At least some of the network devices with which the UEs 102 are connected and that provide network functionality, such as the gateways and other servers, may be provided as part of a 5G/new radio (NR)

infrastructure. As used herein, an LTE network refers to both LTE and LTE Advanced (LTE -A) networks as well as other versions of LTE networks to be developed. The network 100 may comprise a radio access network (RAN) (e.g., as depicted, the E-UT AN or evolved universal terrestrial radio access network) 101 and core network 120 (e.g., shown as an evolved packet core (EPC)) coupled together through an SI interface 5. For convenience and brevity, only a portion of the core network 120, as well as the RAN 101, is shown in the example.

|0020| The core network 120 may include a mobility management entity (MME) 122, serving gateway (serving GW) 124, and packet data network gateway (PDN GW) 126, or other entities as defined in the next generation Core Networks. The RAN 101 may include base stations (BSs), which may be evolved node-Bs (e^'NBs) in LTE or Next Generation Node- Bs (gNBs) in 5G networks 104. The BSs 104 may be used to communicate with user equipment (UE) 102, whether next generation (5G) or earlier generations (e.g., LTE, 4G). The BSs 104 may include macro BSs 104a and low power (LP) BSs 104b. The BSs 104 and UEs 102 may employ the techniques as described herein.

[0021] The MME 122 may be similar in function to the control plane of legacy Serving GPRS Support Nodes (SGSN). The MME 122 may manage mobility aspects in access such as gateway selection and tracking area list management. The serving GW 124 may terminate the interface toward the RAN 101, and route data packets between the RAN 101 and the core network 120. In addition, the serving GW 124 may be a local mobility anchor point for inter-BS handovers and also may provide an anchor for inter-3GPP mobility. Other responsibilities may include lawful intercept, charging, and some policy enforcement. The serving GW 124 and the MME 122 may be implemented in one physical node or separate physical nodes.

[0022] The PDN GW 126 may terminate a SGi interface toward the packet data network (PDN). The PDN GW 126 may route data packets between the EPC 120 and the external PDN, and may perform policy enforcement and charging data collection. The PDN GW 126 may also provide an anchor point for mobility devices with non-LTE access. The external PDN can be any kind of IP network, as well as an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) domain. The PDN GW 126 and the serving GW 124 may be implemented in a single physical node or separate physical nodes. |0023j The BSs 104 (macro and micro) may terminate the air interface protocol and may be the first point of contact for a UE 102. In some embodiments, a BS 104 may fulfill various logical functions for the RAN 101 including, but not limited to, RNC (radio network controller functions) such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management and data packet scheduling, and mobility management. At least some of the eNBs 104 may be in a cell 106, in which the eNBs 104 of the ceil 106 may be controlled by the same processor or set of processors. In some embodiments, an eNB 104 may be in a single cell 106, while in other embodiments the eNB 104 may be a member of multiple cells 106. In some embodiments, an eNB 104 may fulfill various logical functions for the RAN 101 including but not limited to RNC (radio network controller functions) such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management and data packet scheduling, and mobility management.

|0024| In accordance with embodiments, UEs 102 may be configured to communicate orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals with an eNB 104 over a multicarrier communication channel in accordance with an OFDMA communication technique. The OFDM signals may comprise a plurality of orthogonal subcarriers. Each of the eNBs 104 may be able to transmit a

reconfiguration message to each UE 102 that is connected to that e^'NB 104, The reconfiguration message may contain reconfiguration information including one or more parameters that indicate specifics about

reconfiguration of the UE 102 upon a mobility scenario (e.g., handover) to reduce the latency involved in the handover. The parameters may include physical layer and layer 2 reconfiguration indicators, and a security key update indicator. The parameters may be used to instruct the UE 102 to avoid or skip one or more of the processes indicated to decrease messaging between the UE 102 and the network. The network may be able to automatically route packet data between the UE 102 and the new eNB 104 and may be able to provide the desired information between the eNBs 104 involved in the mobility. The application, however, is not limited to this, however, and additional embodiments are described in more detail below.

[0025] The SI interface 1 15 may be the interface that separates the

RAN 101 and the EPC 120. it may be split into two parts: the Sl-U, which may carry traffic data between the BSs 104 and the serving GW 124, and the Sl -MME, which may be a signaling interface between the BSs 104 and the MME 122. The X2 interface may be the interface between BSs 104. The X2 interface may comprise two parts, the X2-C and X2-U. The X2-C may be the control plane interface between the BSs 104, while the X2-U may be the user plane interface between the BSs 04.

[0026] With cellular networks, LP ceils 104b may be typically used to extend coverage to indoor areas where outdoor signals do not reach well, or to add network capacity in areas with dense usage. In particular, it may be desirable to enhance the coverage of a wireless communication system using ceils of different sizes, macrocells, microcells, picocelis, and femtocells, to boost system performance. The cells of different sizes may operate on the same frequency band, or may operate on different frequency bands with each cell operating in a different frequency band or only cells of different sizes operating on different frequency bands. As used herein, the term LP BS refers to any suitable relatively LP BS for implementing a smaller cell (smaller than a macro cell) such as a femtocell, a picocell, or a microcell. Femtocell BSs may be typically provided by a mobile network operator to its residential or enterprise customers. A femtocell may be typically the size of a residential gateway or smaller and generally connect to a broadband line. The femtocell may connect to the mobile operators mobile network and provide extra coverage in a range of typically 30 to 50 meters. Thus, a LP BS 104b might be a femtocell BS since it is coupled through the PDN GW 126. Similarly, a picocell may be a wireless communication system typically covering a small area, such as in-building (offices, shopping malls, train stations, etc.), or more recently in-aircraft. A picocell BS may generally connect through the X2 link to another BS such as a macro BS through its base station controller (BSC) functionality. Thus, LP BS may be implemented with a picocell BS since it may be coupled to a macro BS 104a via an X2 interface. Picocell BSs or other LP BSs LP BS 104b may incorporate some or all functionality of a macro BS LP BS 104a. In some cases, this may be referred to as an access point base station or enterprise femtocell.

[0027] The core network 120 may also contain a Policy and

Charging Rules Function (PCRF) (not shown) and a Home location register (1 II . R) (not shown). The PCRF may determine policy rules in the network core and accesses subscriber databases and other specialized functions, such as a charging system, in a centralized manner. The PCRF may aggregate information to and from the network, OSSs, and other sources, making policy decisions for each network subscriber active. The HLR is a central database that contains details of each subscriber that is authorized to use the core network 120.

[0028] Communication over an LTE network may be split up into

10ms frames, each of which contains ten lms subframes. Each subframe, in turn, may contain two slots of 0.5ms. Each slot may contain 6-7 symbols, depending on the system used. A resource block (RB) (also called physical resource block (PRB)) may be the smallest unit of resources that can be allocated to a UE. A resource block may be 180 kHz wide in frequency and 1 slot long in time. In frequency, resource blocks may be either 12 x 1 5 kHz subcarriers or 24 x 7.5 kHz subcarriers wide. For most channels and signals, 12 subcarriers may be used per resource block. In Frequency Division Duplexed (FDD) mode, both the uplink and the downlink frames may be 10ms and may be frequency (full-duplex) or time (half-duplex) separated. In Time Division Duplexed (TDD), the uplink and downlink subframes may be transmitted on the same frequency and may be multiplexed in the time domain. A downlink resource grid may be used for downlink transmissions from an eNB to a UE. The grid may be a time- frequency grid, which is the physical resource in the downlink in each slot. Each column and each row of the resource grid may correspond to one OFDM symbol and one OFDM subcarrier, respectively. The duration of the resource grid in the time domain may correspond to one slot. The smallest time-frequency unit in a resource grid may be denoted as a resource element. Each resource grid may comprise a number of the above resource blocks, which describe the mapping of certain physical channels to resource elements. Each resource block may comprise 12 (subcarriers) * 14 (symbols) =168 resource elements.

[0029] In some embodiments, a downlink resource grid may be used for downlink transmissions from an eNB 104 to a UE 102, while uplink transmission from the UE 102 to the eNB 104 may utilize similar techniques. The grid may be a time-frequency grid, called a resource grid or time-frequency resource grid, which is the physical resource in the downlink in each slot. Such a time-frequency plane representation is a common practice for OFDM systems, which makes it intuitive for radio resource allocation. Each column and each row of the resource grid correspond to one OFDM symbol and one OFDM subcarrier, respectively. The duration of the resource grid in the time domain corresponds to one slot in a radio frame. The smallest time-frequency unit in a resource grid is denoted as a resource element (RE). Each resource grid comprises a number of resource blocks (RBs), which describe the mapping of certain physical channels to resource elements. Each resource block comprises a collection of resource elements in the frequency domain and may represent the smallest quanta of resources that currently can be allocated. There may be several different physical downlink channels that are conveyed using such resource blocks. Two of these physical downlink channels may be the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH). Each subframe may be partitioned into the PDCCH and the PDSCH.

[0030] The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carries user data and higher-layer signaling to a UE 102 (FIG. 1 A). The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carries information about the transport format and resource allocations related to the PDSCH channel, among other things. It also informs the UE 102 about the transport format, resource allocation, and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) information related to the uplink shared channel. Typically, downlink scheduling (e.g., assigning control and shared channel resource blocks to UE 102 within a cell) may be performed at the eNB 104 based on channel quality

information fed back from the UE 102 to the eNB 104, and then the downlink resource assignment information may be sent to the UE 102 on the control channel (PDCCH) used for (assigned to) the UE 102.

[0031] The PDCCH uses CCEs (control channel elements) to convey the control information. Before being mapped to resource elements, the PDCCH com pi e -valued symbols are first organized into quadruplets, which are then permuted using a sub-block inter-leaver for rate matching. Each PDCCH is transmitted using one or more of these control channel elements (CCEs), where each CCE corresponds to nine sets of four physical resource elements known as resource element groups (REGs). Four QPSK symbols are mapped to each REG. The PDCCH can be transmitted using one or more CCEs, depending on the size of downlink control information (DCI) and the channel condition. There may be four or more different PDCCH formats defined in LTE with different numbers of CCEs (e.g., aggregation level, L=T, 2, 4, or 8).

[0032] In an example, the network 100 may employ measurement reporting including a number of available beams within a cell to allow fast recovery from a blocked communication channel as well as to facilitate handover to a reliable communication channel. More specifically, the eNB 104 can send a Measurement Configuration information element (IE) 130, which can include a request for available beams that satisfy one or more pre-determined criteria. For example, the request within the

Measurement Configuration IE 130 can include a request for available beams with power level above a power threshold and/or beams with angular separation (with relation to a reference beam) above an angular threshold. The UE can be configured to (e.g., upon detection of a blocked communication channel) perform measurements on a current cell and neighboring cells to determine available beams that satisfy the criteria established with the Measurement Configuration IE 130. The available beam data can be communicated to the eNB 104 via a measurement report message (e.g., Measurement Result List IE) 132. In an example, the measurement reporting message 132 can be communicated with a handover request. In response to the measurement report message 132, the eNB 104 can select an available beam based on the measurements and issue a handover instruction. In instances when handover is not requested, the eNB can switch communication to another beam within the same cell, if a current beam has been blocked.

[0033] FIG. I B is a simplified diagram of a next generation wireless network in accordance with some embodiments. The wireless network may be similar to that shown in FIG. 1 A but may contain components associated with a 5G network. The wireless network may contain, among other elements not shown, a RAN 101, a core network 120 and the Internet 130 that connects the core network 120 with other core networks 120. In some embodiments, the RAN 101 and core network 120 may be a next generation (5G) 3 GPP RAN and 5G core network, respectively. The RAN 101 may include an upper layer of a gNB (also referred to as a new radio (NR.) base station (BS) (ULNRBS)) 108 A and multiple lower layers of different gNBs (Nil BS (LLNRBS)) 106. The LLNRBS s 106 can be connected to the ULNRBS 108A via a Z interface. The Z interface can be open or proprietary. In some examples, the

LLNRBS 106 can be referred to as a transmission-reception point (TRP). If the Z interface is proprietary, then the ULNRBS 108A and the LLNRBS 106 may be provided by the same vendor. The LLNRBS 106 can be connected by a Y interface, which may be equivalent to the LTE X2 interface. The ULNRBS 108A may be connected to the core network 120 through the S I interface.

[0034] As used herein, the term circuitry may refer to, be part of, or include an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group), or memory (shared, dedicated, or group) that executes one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, or other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality. In some

embodiments, the circuitry may be implemented in, or functions associated with the circuitry may be implemented by, one or more software or firmware modules. In some embodiments, circuitry may include logic, at least partially operable in hardware. Embodiments described herein may be implemented into a system using any suitably configured hardware or software.

[0035] FIG. 2 is a functional diagram of a User Equipment (UE) in accordance with some embodiments. The UE 200 may be suitable for use as a UE 102 as depicted in FIG. 1 A. In some embodiments, the UE 200 may include application circuitry 202, baseband circuitry 204, Radio

Frequency (RF) circuitry 206, front-end module (FEM) circuitry 208, and multiple antennas 210A-210D, coupled together at least as shown. In some embodiments, other circuitr or arrangements may include one or more elements or components of the application circuitry 202, the baseband circuitry 204, the RF circuitry 206 or the FEM circuitry 208, and may also include other elements or components in some cases. As an example, "processing circuitry" may include one or more elements or components, some or all of which may be included in the application circuitry 202 or the baseband circuitry 204. As another example, "transceiver circuitry" may include one or more elements or components, some or all of which may be included in the RF circuitry 206 or the FEM circuitry 208, These examples are not limiting, however, as the processing circuitry or the transceiver circuitry may also include other elements or components in some cases. |Ό036| The application circuitry 202 may include one or more application processors. For example, the application circuitry 202 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processor(s) may include any combination of general -purpose processors and dedicated processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). The processors may be coupled with or may include memory/ storage and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory/ storage to enable various applications or operating systems to run on the system to perform one or more of the functionalities described herein.

[0037] The baseband circuitry 204 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The baseband circuitry 204 may include one or more baseband processors or control logic to process baseband signals received from a receive signal path of the RF circuitry 206 and to generate baseband signals for a transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 206. Baseband processing circuity 204 may interface with the application circuitry 202 for generation and processing of the baseband signals and for controlling operations of the RF circuitry 206. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 204 may include a second generation (2G) baseband processor 204a, third generation (3G) baseband processor 204b, fourth generation (4G) baseband processor 204c, or other baseband processor(s) 204d for other existing generations, generations in development or to be developed in the future (e.g., fifth generation (5G), 6G, etc.). The baseband circuitry 204 (e.g., one or more of baseband processors 204a~d) may handle various radio control functions that enable communication with one or more radio networks via the RF circuitry 206. The radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation/demodulation, encoding/decoding, radio

frequency shifting, etc. In some embodiments, modulation/demodulation circuitry of the baseband circuitry 204 may include Fast-Fourier Transform (FFT), preceding, or constellation mapping/demapping functionality. In some embodiments, encoding/decoding circuitry of the baseband circuitry 204 may include Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) encoder/decoder functionality, optionally along-side other techniques such as, for example, block codes, convolutional codes, turbo codes, or the like, which may be used to support legacy protocols. Embodiments of

modulation/demodulation and encoder/decoder functionality are not limited to these examples and may include other suitable functionality in other embodiments.

[0038] In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 204 may include elements of a protocol stack such as, for example, elements of an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN) protocol including, for example, physical (PHY), media access control (MAC), radio link control (RLC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), or radio resource control (RRC) elements. A central processing unit (CPU) 204e of the baseband circuitry 204 may be configured to run elements of the protocol stack for signaling of the PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP or RRC layers. In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry may include one or more audio digital signal processors) (DSP) 204f. The audio DSP(s) 204f may be include elements for compression/decompression and echo cancellation and may include other suitable processing elements in other embodiments. Components of the baseband circuitry may be suitably combined in a single chip, a single chipset, or disposed on a same circuit board in some embodiments. In some embodiments, some or all of the constituent components of the baseband circuitry 204 and the application circuitry 202 may be implemented together such as, for example, on a system on chip (SOC).

[0039] In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 204 may provide for communication compatible with one or more radio

technologies. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 204 may support communication with an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN) or other wireless metropolitan area networks (WMAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless personal area network (WPAN). Embodiments in which the baseband circuitry 204 is configured to support radio communications of more than one wireless protocol may be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuitry.

[0040] RF circuitry 206 may enable communication with wireless networks using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. In various embodiments, the RF circuitry 206 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc. to facilitate the communication with the wireless network. RF circuitry 206 may include a receive signal path which may include circuitry to down-convert RF^' signals received from the FEM circuitry 208 and provide baseband signals to the baseband circuitry 204. RF^' circuitry 206 may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry to up-convert baseband signals provided by the baseband circuitry 204 and provide RF output signals to the FEM circuitry 208 for

transmission.

[0041] In some embodiments, the RF circuitry 206 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the RF circuitry 206 may include mixer circuitry 206a, amplifier circuitry 206b and filter circuitry 206c. The transmit signal path of the RF^' circuitry 206 may include filter circuitry 206c and mixer circuitry 206a. RF circuitry 206 may also include synthesizer circuitr' 206d for synthesizing a frequency for use by the mixer circuitry 206a of the receive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 206a of the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 208 based on the synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuitry 206d. The amplifier circuitry 206b may be configured to amplify the down-converted signals and the filter circuitry 206c may be a low-pass filter (LPF) or band-pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signals to generate output baseband signals. Output baseband signals may be provided to the baseband circuitry 204 for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signals may be zero-frequency baseband signals, although this is not a requirement. In some embodiments, mixer circuitry 206a of the receive signal path may comprise passive mixers, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 206a of the transmit signal path may be configured to up- convert input baseband signals based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuitry 206d to generate RF output signals for the FEM circuitry 208. The baseband signals may be provided by the baseband circuitry 204 and may be filtered by filter circuitry 206c, The filter circuitry 206c may include a low-pass filter (LPF), although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0042] In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 206a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 206a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature downconversion or upconversion respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 206a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 206a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image rejection (e.g.. Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 206a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 206a may be arranged for direct downconversion or direct upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 206a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 206a of the transmit signal path may be configured for super- heterodyne operation.

[0043] In some embodiments, the output baseband signals and the input baseband signals may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternate embodiments, the output baseband signals and the input baseband signals may be digital baseband signals. In these alternate embodiments, the RF circuitry 206 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to- analog converter (DAC) circuitry and the baseband circuitry 204 may include a digital baseband interface to communicate with the RF circuitry 206. In some dual-mode embodiments, a separate radio IC circuitry may be provided for processing signals for each spectrum, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0044] In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 206d may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional N/N+1 synthesizer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect as other types of frequency synthesizers may he suitable. For example, synthesizer circuitry 206d may be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer comprising a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider. The synthesizer circuitry 206d may be configured to synthesize an output frequency for use by the mixer circuitry 206a of the RF circuitry 206 based on a frequency input and a divider control input. In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 206d may be a fractional N/N+l synthesizer. In some embodiments, frequency input may be provided by a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), although that is not a requirement. Divider control input may be provided by either the baseband circuitry 204 or the applications processor 202 depending on the desired output frequency. In some embodiments, a divider control input (e.g., ) may be determined from a look-up table based on a channel indicated by the applications processor 202.

[0045] Synthesizer circuitry 206d of the RF circuitry 206 may include a divider, a delay-locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer and a phase accumulator. In some embodiments, the divider may be a dual modulus divider (DMD) and the phase accumulator may be a digital phase accumulator (DP A). In some embodiments, the DMD may be configured to divide the input signal by either N or N+l (e.g., based on a cany out) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some example embodiments, the DLL may include a set of cascaded, tunable, delay elements, a phase detector, a charge pump and a D-type flip-flop. In these embodiments, the delay elements may be configured to break a VCO period up into Nd equal packets of phase, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. In this way, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle,

[0046] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuitry 206d may be configured to generate a carrier frequency as the output frequency, while in other embodiments, the output frequency may be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and used in conjunction with quadrature generator and divider circuitry to generate multiple signals at the carrier frequency with multiple different phases with respect to each other. In some embodiments, the output frequency may be a LO frequency (tLO). In some embodiments, the RF circuitry 206 may include an IQ/polar converter.

[0047] FEM circuitry 208 may include a receive signal path, which may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more of the antennas 210A-D, amplify the received signals and provide the amplified versions of the received signals to the RF circuitry 206 for further processing. FEM circuitry 208 may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry configured to amplify signals for transmission provided by the RF circuitry 206 for transmission by one or more of the one or more antennas 210A-D.

[0048] In some embodiments, the FEM circuitry 208 may include a

TX/RX switch to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. The FEM circuitry may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuitry may include a low-noise amplifier (LNA) to amplify received RF signals and provide the amplified received RF^' signals as an output (e.g., to the RF circuitry 206). The transmit signal path of the FEM circuitry 208 may include a power amplifier (PA) to amplify input RF^' signals (e.g., provided by RF circuitry 206), and one or more filters to generate RF signals for subsequent transmission (e.g., by one or more of the one or more antennas 210. In some embodiments, the UE 200 may include additional elements such as, for example, memory/storage, display, camera, sensor, or input/output ( O) interface.

[0049] FIG. 3 is a functional diagram of an Evolved Node-B (eNB) in accordance with some embodiments. It should be noted that in some embodiments, the eNB 300 may be a stationary non-mobile device. The eNB 300 may be suitable for use as an eNB 04 as depicted in FIG. 1 A. The components of eNB 300 may be included in a single device or a plurality of devices. The eNB 300 may include physical layer (PHY ) circuitry 302 and a transceiver 305, one or both of which may enable transmission and reception of signals to and from the UE 200, other e^'NBs, other UEs or other devices using one or more antennas 301 A-B. As an example, the physical layer circuitry 302 may perform various encoding and decoding functions that may include formation of baseband signals for transmission and decoding of received signals. For example, physical layer circuitry 302 may include LDPC encoder/decoder functionality, optionally along-side other techniques such as, for example, block codes,

convolutional codes, turbo codes, or the like, which may be used to support legacy protocols. Embodiments of modulation/demodulation and encoder/decoder functionality are not limited to these examples and may- include other suitable functionality in other embodiments. As another example, the transceiver 305 may perform various transmission and reception functions such as conversion of signals between a baseband range and a Radio Frequency (RF) range. Accordingly, the physical layer circuitry 302 and the transceiver 305 may be separate components or may be part of a combined component. In addition, some of the described functionality related to transmission and reception of signals may be performed by a combination that may include one, any or all of the physical layer circuitry 302, the transceiver 305, and other components or layers. The eNB 300 may also include medium access control layer (MAC) circuitry 304 for controlling access to the wireless medium. The eNB 300 may also include processing circuitry 306 and memory 308 arranged to perform the operations described herein. The eNB 300 may also include one or more interfaces 310, which may enable communication with other components, including other eNB 104 (FIG. 1), components in the EPC 120 (FIG. 1) or other network components. In addition, the interfaces 310 may enable communication with other components that may not be shown in FIG. 1, including components external to the network. The interfaces 310 may be wired or wireless or a combination thereof

[0050] The antennas 210 A-D (in the UE) and 301 A-B (in the eNB) may comprise one or more directional or omnidirectional antennas, including, for example, dipole antennas, monopole antennas, patch antennas, loop antennas, microstrip antennas or other types of antennas suitable for transmission of RF signals. In some multiple-input multiple- output (MIMO) embodiments, the antennas 210A-D, 301 A-B may be effectively separated to take advantage of spatial diversity and the different channel characteristics that may result,

[0051] In some embodiments, the UE 200 or the eNB 300 may be a mobile device and may be a portable wireless communication device, such as a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop or portable computer with wireless communication capability, a web tablet, a wireless telephone, a smartphone, a wireless headset, a pager, an instant messaging device, a digital camera, an access point, a television, a wearable device such as a medical device (e.g., a heart rate monitor, a blood pressure monitor, etc), or other device that may receive or transmit information wirelessiy. In some embodiments, the UE 200 or eNB 300 may be configured to operate in accordance with 3 GPP standards, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. Mobile devices or other devices in some embodiments may be configured to operate according to other protocols or standards, including IEEE 802.1 1 or other IEEE standards. In some embodiments, the UE 200, eNB 300 or other device may include one or more of a keyboard, a display, a non-volatile memory port, multiple antennas, a graphics processor, an application processor, speakers, and other mobile device elements. The display may be an LCD screen including a touch screen.

[0052] Although the UE 200 and the eNB 300 are each illustrated as having several separate functional elements, one or more of the functional elements may be combined and may be implemented by combinations of software-configured elements, such as processing elements including digital signal processors (DSPs), or other hardware elements. For example, some elements may comprise one or more microprocessors, DSPs, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), radio-frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) and combinations of various hardware and logic circuitry for performing at least the functions described herein. In some embodiments, the functional elements may refer to one or more processes operating on one or more processing elements. [0053] Embodiments may be implemented in one or a combination of hardware, firmware and software. Embodiments may also be implemented as instructions stored on a computer-readable storage device, which may be read and executed by at least one processor to perform the operations described herein, A computer-readable storage device may include any non-transitory mechanism for storing information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). For example, a computer- readable storage device may include read-only memory (ROM), random- access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash-memory devices, and other storage devices and media. Some embodiments may include one or more processors and may be configured with instructions stored on a computer-readable storage device.

[0054] It should be noted that in some embodiments, an apparatus used by the LIE 200 or eNB 300 may include various components of the UE 200 or the eNB 300 as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. Accordingly, techniques and operations described herein that refer to the UE 200 (or 02) may be applicable to an apparatus for a UE. In addition, techniques and operations described herein that refer to the eNB 300 (or 104) may be applicable to an apparatus for an eNB.

[0055] Even though specific durations (e.g., time interval duration, transmission time etc.) and specific bit sequence sizes are mentioned herein, the disclosure may not be limited in this regard, and specific numbering designations are for illustrative purposes only.

[0056] FIG. 4 illustrates examples of multiple beam transmission in accordance with some embodiments. Although the example scenarios 400 and 450 depicted in FIG. 4 may illustrate some aspects of techniques disclosed herein, it will be understood that embodiments are not limited by example scenarios 400 and 450. Embodiments are not limited to the number or type of components shown in FIG. 4 and are also not limited to the number or arrangement of transmitted beams shown in FIG. 4.

[0057] In example scenario 400, the eNB 104 may transmit a signal on multiple beams 405-420, any or all of which may be received at the UE 102. It should be noted that the number of beams or transmission angles as shown are not limiting. As the beams 405-420 may be directional, transmitted energy from the beams 405-420 may be concentrated in the direction shown. Therefore, the UE 102 may not necessarily receive a significant amount of energy from beams 405 and 410 in some cases, due to the relative location of the UE 102,

[0058] UE 102 may receive a significant amount of energy from the beams 415 and 420 as shown. As an example, the beams 405-420 may be transmitted using different reference signals, and the UE 102 may determine channel-state information (CSI) feedback or other information for beams 415 and 420. In some embodiments, each of beams 405-420 are configured as CSI reference signals (CSI-RS). In related embodiments, the CSI-RS signal is a part of the discovery reference signaling (DRS) configuration. The DRS configuration may serve to inform the UE 102 about the physical resources (e.g., subframes, subcarriers) on which the CSI-RS signal will be found. In related embodiments, the UE 102 is further informed about any scrambling sequences that are to be applied for CSI-RS.

[0059] In some embodiments, up to 2 MIMO layers may be transmitted within each beam by using different polarizations. More than 2 MIMO layers may be transmitted by using multiple beams. In related embodiments, the UE is configured to discover the available beams and report those discovered beams to the eNB prior to the ΜΓΜΟ data transmissions using suitable reporting messaging. Erased on the reporting messaging, the eNB 104 may determine suitable beam directions for the MIMO layers to be used for data com muni cations with the UE 102, In various embodiments, there may be up to 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, or more MIMO layers, depending on the number of MIMO layers that are supported by the eNB 104 and UE 102, In a given scenario, the number of MIMO layers that may actually be used will depend on the quality of the signaling received at the UE 102, and the availability of reflected beams arriving at diverse angles at the UE 102 such that the UE 102 may discriminate the data carried on the separate beams. [0060] In the example scenario 450, the UE 02 may determine angles or other information (such as CSI feedback/report, including beam index, precoder, channel -quality indicator (CQI) or other) for the beams 465 and 470. The UE 102 may also determine such information when received at other angles, such as the illustrated beams 475 and 480. The beams 475 and 480 are demarcated using a dotted line configuration to indicate that they may not necessarily be transmitted at those angles, but that the UE 102 may determine the beam directions of beams 475 and 480 using such techniques as receive beam-forming, as receive directions. This situation may occur, for example, when a transmitted beam reflects from an object in the vicinity of the UE 102, and arrives at the UE 102 according to its reflected, rather than incident, angle.

[0061] In some embodiments, the UE 102 may transmit one or more CSI messages (or reports) to the eNB 104 as reporting messaging (e.g., CSI report 131 including beam index information 132).

Embodiments are not limited to dedicated CSI messaging, however, as the UE 102 may include relevant reporting information in control messages or other types of messages that may or may not be dedicated for

communication of the CSI-type information.

[0062] As an example, the first signal received from the first eNB

104 may include a first directional beam based at least partly on a first reference signal and a second directional beam based at least partly on a second reference signal. The UE 102 may determine a rank indicator (RI) for the first reference signal and an RI for the second reference signal, and may transmit both RIs in the CSI messages. In an example, the reference signal (RS) can be a CSI-RS or a cell-specific reference signal (CRS). In addition, the UE 102 may determine one or more RIs for the second signal, and may also include them in the CSI messages in some cases. In some embodiments, the UE 102 may also determine a CQI, a preceding matrix indicator (PMI), receive angles or other information for one or both of the first and second signals. Such information may be included, along with one or more RIs, in the one or more CSI messages. In some embodiments, the UE 102 performs reference signal receive power (RSRP) measurement, received signal strength indication (RSSI) measurement, reference signal receive quality (RSRQ) measurement, or some combination of these using reference signals.

[0063] As an example, the first signal received from the e B 104 may include a first directional beam based at least partly on a first reference signal and a second directional beam based at least partly on a second reference signal. The UE 102 may determine a first measurement for the first directional beam and a second measurement for the second directional beam. In addition, the UE 102 may determine first and second CQIs related to reception of the signal at the first and second angles. The UE 102 may also determine a selected angle between the first angle and the second angle, wherein a CQI for reception of the first signal at the selected angle is greater than the first and second CQIs. The selected angle may be a better angle for reception in comparison to the first and second angles, in some cases.

[0064] In some embodiments, the selected angle or the CQI for reception of the first signal at the selected angle may be indicated in the one or more CSI messages, in addition to or instead of other CSI feedback described herein. In some embodiments, the UE 102 may be configured with one or more CSI processes per serving cell by higher layers. Each CSI process may be associated with a CSI Reference Signal (CSI-RS) resource and a CSI- interference measurement (CSI-ΓΜ).

[0065] FIG. 5 is a diagram of a wireless network including multiple transmission-reception points (TRPs) using measurement reporting of available beams in accordance with some embodiments. Referring to FIG. 5, the wireless network 500 can be a 5G network including Next

Generation Node-Bs (gNBs) 502, 504, and 506 which can function as Control Units (CUs) within the network. The gNBs 502, 504, 506 can be similar to the ULNRBS 108A of FIG. IB. The network 500 can also include transmission-reception point (TRPs) 510, 512, 514, 520, 522, and 524 which can function as Distributed Units (DUs), similar to the LLNRBS 106, As seen in FIG. 5, each cell can include multiple TRPs, and each TRP can have one or more beams available for use by a UE. |Ό066 | One or more of the TRPs can form a cell which can he within a serving cell of a gNB, For example, TRPs 520, 522, and 524 can form a cell 526 communicatively coupled to gNB 504. Similarly, TRPs 510, 512, and 514 can form a cell 515 communicatively coupled to gNB 502.

[0067] In an example, available beam information can be collected by a UE and communicated to a gNB for purposes of beam selection during a handover or switching communications to a new beam within a cell when a current communication channel is blocked. For example, UE 501 can be at a location 530 within ceil 540 and moving in the direction indicated in FIG. 5, towards cell 515. The UE 501 can receive a request for available beams (e.g., from gNB 502) using an information element (IE), such as a Measurement Configuration IE (e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 6). FIG. 6 illustrates an example Measurement Configuration Information Element used in connection with reporting of available beams in accordance with some embodiments. Referring to FIG. 6, the Measurement Configuration IE 600 can include an available beam request 610, specifying a threshold value. The threshold value can indicate a specific power level, so that only available beams at or above the indicated power level can be reported by the UE.

[0068] In an example, the Measurement Configuration IE 600 can also include an available beam request 620, which can request beams that have a pre-determined angular separation. For example, the available beam request 620 in the Measurement Configuration IE 600 can be used to report available beams with angular separation from a reference beam that is above the angular separation threshold. The reference beam can include a currently used beam or a maximum reference signal received power (RSRP) beam. In an example, the available beam request 620 in the Measurement Configuration IE 600 can be used to report available beams with angular separation, between each other, that is above the angular separation threshold.

[0069] FIG. 7 illustrates an example Measurement Report

Information Element used in connection with reporting of available beams in accordance with some embodiments. Referring to FIG. 7, after the UE receives the Measurement Configuration IE 600, the UE can perform measurements on the available beams and send a measurement response message, such as the Measurement Report IE 700. In an example, the Measurement Report IE 700 can be referred to as MeasResultList IE. The Measurement Report IE 700 can include measurement result information 710 indicating available beams for each of a plurality of frequencies (e.g., from 1 to maxFreq). The result information 710 can indicate a number of available beams within the specified frequency range and/or specific beam identification for each of the available beams. In an example, the

Measurement Report IE 700 can also indicate the available beams per cell in each frequency. In this regard, the Measurement Report IE 700 can indicate available beams for each TRP for a plurality of TRPs within a serving cell of a gNB, as well as available beams for one or more TRPs associated with a neighboring cell of another gNB.

[0070] In an example, the Measurement Report IE 700 can include the number of available beams, angular separation (e.g., from a reference beam or between available beams) as well as the beam quality within a cell.

[0071] In an example, the Measurement Report IE 700 can include the number of available beams when the number is above a configured threshold and the beams' angular separation is larger than the specified angular separation.

[0072] In an example, the Measurement Report IE 700 can include the selected beam IDs of beams with signal measurement levels above a configured (and pre-defined) threshold. The network may compute the number of beams that satisfy the threshold and angle separation conditions by using the specified beam IDs, The reported beam IDs can also be used for beam refinement after deciding which cell to handover to.

[0073] In an example, the network (e.g., a gNB) can configure a quality metric to be used for rank ordering of multiple available beams reported by the UE. In this regard, the Measurement Report IE 700 can include the number of available beams ranked according to the configured quality metric. The network may further configure a threshold to be used for the quality metric specified. For example, the network can prescribe that the available beams are to be reported based on, e.g., SNR quality, angular separation or degree of correlation with the primary beam, weighted SNR quality (where the weights are based on the degree of correlation with the primary beam), and/or beams ranked based on a throughput metric (where the throughput accounts for the latency in switching beams). The threshold may be configured based on an absolute value of the quality metric or it can be specified as median/average or some function of the quality metric.

[0074] FIG. 8 is a diagram of a communication exchange for available beam reporting in accordance with some embodiments. Referring to FIGS. 5-8, the communication exchange 800 may take place between the gNB 802 (or 502) and UE 804 (or 501). At 806, a Measurement

Configuration IE (e.g., 600) can be communicated to the UE 804. The Measurement Configuration IE 600 (or another configuration message from the gNB) can specify an event trigger, which can trigger the UE performing the available beam measurements requested by the IE 600. An example event trigger can include one or more blocked communication channels.

[0075] AT 808, the UE 804 can detect the event trigger, and can perform the available beam measurements at 810. Example measurements can include determining available beams within the cell 515 (e.g., from beams 516a - 516d) and/or another neighboring ceil, such as cell 526 (e.g., from beams 528a-528c). Additional measurements can include angular separation measurements, which can be used to further filter the set of available beams for reporting back to the gNB.

|0076| At 812, the UE 804 can communicate a Measurement

Report IE (e.g., 700). Optionally, a handover request can also be communicated to the gNB with the measurement report. Based on the available beam measurement report, the gNB 802 may, at 816, perform beam selection for purposes of handover. The gN B 802 may then issue a handover instruction (at 818), which can specify an available beam for purposes of performing the handover. [0077] FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating example functionalities for available beam reporting in beamforming systems in accordance with some embodiments. Referring to FIGS. 5 and 9, the example method 900 can start at 902, when a UE (e.g., 501) can decode a radio resource control (RRC) message with a Measurement Configuration Information Element (IE) from a source serving cell. For example, the UE 501 can receive and decode a Measurement Configuration IE (e.g., 600) from a serving cell of gNB 502. The Measurement Configuration IE can include a request for available beams that satisfy certain selection criteria, such as beams with angular separation above an angular threshold. At 904, the UE 501 can detect an event trigger associated with a blocked communication channel between a current cell of the UE and one or more neighboring cells. AT 906, in response to the event trigger, the UE 501 can perform

measurements of the one or more neighboring cells to determine the available beams for a plurality of frequencies within a frequency range.

For example, the UE 501 can determine available beams within the cell 515 (e.g., from beams 516a - 516d) and/or another neighboring cell, such as cell 526 (e.g., from beams 528a-528c). At 908, a handover request message can be encoded for transmission to the source serving cell. The handover request can include a Measurement Report message identifying the available beams for the plurality of frequencies. In an example, the Measurement Report message can be communicated subsequent to the handover request. The UE can further decode a radio resource control (RRC) message (or another configuration message) with a handover instruction, the handover instruction identifying one of the available beams and a corresponding one of the frequencies for use after the handover.

[0078] FIG. 10 illustrates a block diagram of a communication device such as an e B or a UE, in accordance with some embodiments. In alternative embodiments, the communication device 1000 may operate as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g., networked) to other communication devices. In a networked deployment, the communication device 1000 may operate in the capacity of a server communication device, a client communication device, or both in server-client network environments. In an example, the communication device 1000 may act as a peer communication device in peer-to-peer (P2P) (or other distributed) network environment. The com muni cation device 1000 may be a LIE, e B, PC, a tablet PC, a STB, a PDA, a mobile telephone, a smart phone, a web appliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any communication device capable of executing instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that communication device. Further, while only a single communication device is illustrated, the term "communication device" shall also be taken to include any collection of communication devices that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein, such as cloud computing, software as a service (SaaS), other computer cluster configurations.

[0079] Examples, as described herein, may include, or may operate on, logic or a number of components, modules, or mechanisms. Modules are tangible entities (e.g., hardware) capable of performing specified operations and may be configured or arranged in a certain manner. In an example, circuits may be arranged (e.g., internally or with respect to external entities such as other circuits) in a specified manner as a module. In an example, the whole or part of one or more computer systems (e.g., a standalone, client or server computer system) or one or more hardware processors may be configured by firmware or software (e.g., instructions, an application portion, or an application) as a module that operates to perform specified operations. In an example, the software may reside on a communication device readable medium. In an example, the software, when executed by the underlying hardware of the module, causes the hardware to perform the specified operations,

[0080] Accordingly, the term "module" is understood to encompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physically constructed, specifically configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarily (e.g., transitorily) configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a specified manner or to perform part or all of any operation described herein. Considering examples in which modules are temporarily configured, each of the modules need not be instantiated at any one moment in time. For example, where the modules comprise a general -purpose hardware processor configured using software, the general -purpose hardware processor may be configured as respective different modules at different times. Software may accordingly configure a hardware processor, for example, to constitute a particular module at one instance of time and to constitute a different module at a different instance of time.

[0081] Communication device (e.g., UE) 1000 may include a hardware processor 1002 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), a main memory 1004 and a static memory 1006, some or ail of which may communicate with each other via an interlink (e.g., bus) 1008. The communication device 1000 may further include a display unit 1010, an alphanumeric input device 1012 (e.g., a keyboard), and a user interface (UI) navigation device 1014 (e.g., a mouse). In an example, the display unit 1010, input device 1012 and UI navigation device 1014 may be a touch screen display. The communication device 1000 may additionally include a storage device (e.g., drive unit) 1016, a signal generation device 1018 (e.g., a speaker), a network interface device 1020, and one or more sensors 1021, such as a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, compass, acceierometer, or other sensor. The communication device 1000 may include an output controller 1028, such as a serial (e.g., universal serial bus (USB), parallel, or other wired or wireless (e.g., infrared (IR), near field communication (NFC), etc.) connection to communicate or control one or more peripheral devices (e.g., a printer, card reader, etc.),

[0082] The storage device 1016 may include a communication device readable medium 1022 on which is stored one or more sets of data structures or instructions 1024 (e.g., software) embodying or utilized by any one or more of the techniques or functions described herein. The instructions 1024 may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 1004, within static mem or ' 1006, or within the hardware processor 1002 during execution thereof by the communication device 1000. In an example, one or any combination of the hardware processor 002, the main memory 1004, the static memory 1006, or the storage device 1016 may constitute communication device readable media,

[0083] While the communication device readable medium 1022 is illustrated as a single medium, the term "communication device readable medium" may include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) configured to store the one or more instructions 1024.

[0084] The term "communication device readable medium" may include any medium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution by the communication device 1000 and that cause the communication device 1000 to perform any one or more of the techniques of the present disclosure, or that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying data structures used by or associated with such instructions. Non-limiting communication device readable medium examples may include solid-state memories, and optical and magnetic media. Specific examples of communication device readable media may include: nonvolatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g., Electrically Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM)) and flash memory devices, magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; Random Access Memory (RAM), and CD-ROM: and DVD-ROM disks. In some examples, communication device readable media may include non-transitor communication device readable media. In some examples, communication device readable media may include communication device readable media that is not a transitory propagating signal.

[0085] The instructions 1024 may further be transmitted or received over a communications network 1026 using a transmission medium via the network interface device 1020 utilizing any one of a number of transfer protocols (e.g., frame relay, internet protocol (IP), transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP), hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), etc.). Example communication networks may include a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a packet data network (e.g., the Internet), mobile telephone networks (e.g., cellular networks), Plain Old Telephone (POTS) networks, and wireless data networks (e.g., Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.1 1 family of standards known as Wi-Fi®, IEEE 802.16 family of standards known as WiMax®), IEEE 802.15.4 family of standards, a Long Term Evolution (LTE) family of standards, a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) family of standards, peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, among others. In an example, the network interface device 1020 may include one or more physical jacks (e.g., Ethernet, coaxial, or phone jacks) or one or more antennas to connect to the communications network 1026. In an example, the network interface device 1020 may include a plurality of antennas to wirelessly communicate using at least one of single-input multiple-output (SIMO), MIMO, or multiple-input single-output (MISO) techniques. In some examples, the network interface device 1020 may wirelessly communicate using Multiple User MIMO techniques. The term

"transmission medium" shall be taken to include any intangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying instructions for execution by the communication device 1000, and includes digital or analog

communications signals or other intangible medium to facilitate communication of such software.

[0086] Additional notes and examples:

[0087] Example 1 is an apparatus of a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: memory; and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry configured to: decode a first radio resource control (RRC) message with a Measurement Configuration Information Element (IE) from a source serving cell, the Measurement Configuration IE including a request for available beams with a power level above a power threshold, in response to detection of an event trigger associated with one or more neighboring cells, initiate a handover from the source serving cell to another serving cell, wherein to initiate the handover the processing circuitry is to: perform measurements of the one or more neighboring cells to determine the available beams for a plurality of frequencies within a frequency range; and encode a Measurement Report message for transmission to the source serving ceil with a handover request, the Measurement Report message identifying the available beams for the plurality of frequencies, with a power level above the power threshold; and in response to the handover request, decode a second RRC message with a handover instruction, the handover instruction identifying one of the available beams and a corresponding one of the frequencies for use after the handover,

[0088] In Example 2, the subject matter of Example I optionally includes wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: decode a configuration message from the source serving cell, the configuration message specifying the event trigger,

[0089] In Example 3, the subject matter of Example 2 optionally includes wherein the event trigger is a blocked communication channel between the UE and the one or more neighboring cells.

[0090] In Example 4, the subject matter of any one or more of

Examples 1-3 optionally include wherein the source serving cell is one of a Next Generation Node-B (gNB) serving cell or an Evolved Node-B (eNB) serving cell.

[0091] In Example 5, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 1-4 optionally include wherein the UE is within a current cell associated with a first Transmit-Receive Point (TRP), and the another serving cell is a second TRP, the first and second TRPs within the source serving cell.

[0092] In Example 6, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 1-5 optionally include wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: decode a second RRC message identifying the power threshold.

[0093] In Example 7, the subject matter of any one or more of

Examples 1-6 optionally include wherein the Measurement Configuration IE includes a request for available beams with a beam count higher than a threshold beam count,

[0094] In Example 8, the subject matter of any one or more of

Examples 1-7 optionally include wherein the Measurement Configuration IE includes an angular separation threshold, and the processing circuitry is further configured to: filter the available beams to include beams with angular separation from a reference beam that is above the angular separation threshold.

[0095] In Example 9, the subject matter of Example 8 optionally includes wherein the reference beam is one of a currently used beam or a maximum reference signal received power (RSRP) beam.

[0096] In Example 10, the subject matter of any one or more of

Examples 1-9 optionally include wherein the Measurement Report message further identifies angle differences between candidate beam pairs selected from the available beams.

[0097] In Example 11, the subject matter of Example 10 optionally includes wherein the Measurement Report message further identifies an average or a median of the angle differences between the candidate beam pairs.

[0098] In Example 12, the subject matter of any one or more of

Examples 1-1 1 optionally include transceiver circuitry coupled to the processing circuitry; and one or more antennas coupled to the transceiver circuitry.

[0099] Example 13 is an apparatus of a Node-B ( B), the apparatus comprising: memory; and processing circuitry, configured to: encode a first radio resource control (RRC) message with a Measurement Configuration Information Element (IE) for transmission to a user equipment (UE), the Measurement Configuration IE including a request for beams available to the UE with a power level above a power threshold; in response to a handover request from the UE, decode a Measurement Report message identifying the available beams for a plurality of frequencies within a frequency range, the available beams associated with one or more neighboring cells of the UE; select one of the available beams for the handover, based on beam measurements received with the Measurement Report message; and encode a second RRC message with a handover instruction, the handover instruction identifying the selected beam and a corresponding one of the frequencies for use after the handover. [00100] In Example 14, the subject matter of Example 13 optionally includes wherein the NB is one of a Next Generation Node-B (gNB) or an Evolved Node-B (e^'NB).

[00101] In Example 15, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 13-14 optionally include wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: encode a configuration message for transmission to the UE, the configuration message specifying an event trigger for performing the beam measurements by the UE.

[00102] In Example 16, the subject matter of Example 15 optionally includes wherein the event trigger is a blocked communication channel between the UE and the one or more neighboring cells.

[00103] In Example 17, the subject matter of any one or more of

Examples 13-16 optionally include wherein the beam measurements include one or both of power level and noise level associated with the available beams.

[00104] In Example 18, the subject matter of any one or more of

Examples 13-17 optionally include wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: encode an angular separation threshold within the Measurement Configuration IE, the angular separation threshold indicating a maximum angular separation between a candidate beam and a reference beam.

[00105] In Example 19, the subject matter of Example 18 optionally includes wherein the reference beam is one of a currently used beam by the UE or a maximum reference signal received power (RSRP) beam.

[00106] In Example 20, the subject matter of any one or more of

Examples 13-19 optionally include wherein the beam measurements received with the Measurement Report message further identify one of: angle differences between candidate beam pairs selected from the available beams; and an average of the angle differences between the candidate beam pairs.

[00107] In Example 21 , the subj ect matter of Example 20 optional ly includes wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: select one of the available beams for the handover further based on the angle differences or the average of the angle differences. [00108] Example 22 is a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions for execution by one or more processors, the instructions to configure the one or more processors to cause an apparatus of a user equipment (UE) to: decode a radio resource control (RRC) message with a Measurement Configuration Information Element (IE) from a source serving cell, the Measurement Configuration IE including a request for available beams with angular separation above an angular threshold; detect an event trigger associated with a blocked communication channel between a current cell of the UE and one or more neighboring cells; in response to the event trigger, perform measurements of the one or more neighboring cells to determine the available beams for a plurality of frequencies within a frequency range, having angular separation above the angular threshold, and encode a handover request message for transmission to the source serving cell, the handover request including a Measurement Report message identifying the available beams for the plurality of frequencies,

[00109] In Example 23, the subject matter of Example 22 optionally includes wherein the instructions configure the one or more processors to further cause the apparatus to: decode a second RRC message with a handover instruction, the handover instruction identifying one of the available beams and a corresponding one of the frequencies for use after the handover.

[00110] In Example 24, the subject matter of any one or more of

Examples 22-23 optionally include wherein the angular separation threshold indicates a maximum angular separation between a candidate beam and a reference beam.

[00111] In Example 25, the subject matter of Example 24 optionally includes wherein the reference beam is one of a currently used beam by the UE or a maximum reference signal received power (RSRP) beam.

[00112] In Example 26, the subject matter of any one or more of

Examples 22-25 optionally include wherein: the source serving cell is a Next Generation Node-B (gNB) serving cell; the current ceil is associated with a first Transmit-Receive Point (TRP); and the one or more

neighboring cells are associated with at least a second TRP. [00113] In Example 27, the subject matter of Example 26 optionally includes wherein the first and second TRPs are located within the source serving cell.

[00114] In Example 28, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 26-27 optionally include wherein the first TRP is located within the source serving cell, and the at least second TRP is located within another source serving cell associated with a second gNB.

[00115] In Example 29, the subject matter of any one or more of

Examples 22-28 optionally include wherein the Measurement Report message includes a number of the available beams.

[00116] In Example 30, the subject matter of any one or more of

Examples 22-29 optionally include wherein the Measurement Report message includes beam identifi cations (IDs) of one or more beams of the available beams, with a power level above a pre-determined power threshold.

[00117] Example 31 is an apparatus of a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: means for decoding a radio resource control (RRC) message with a Measurement Configuration Information Eilement (IE) from a source serving cell, the Measurement Configuration IE including a request for available beams with angular separation above an angular threshold; means for detecting an event trigger associated with a blocked communication channel between a current cell of the UE and one or more neighboring cells; means for performing measurements of the one or more neighboring cells to determine the available beams for a plurality of frequencies within a frequency range having angular separation above the angular threshold, in response to the event trigger; and means for encoding a handover request message for transmission to the source serving cell, the handover request including a Measurement Report message identifying the available beams for the plurality of frequencies.

[00118] In Example 32, the subject matter of Example 31 optionally includes means for decoding a second RRC message with a handover instruction, the handover instruction identifying one of the available beams and a corresponding one of the frequencies for use after the handover. [00119] In Example 33, the subject matter of any one or more of

Examples 31-32 optionally include wherein the angular separation threshold indicates a maximum angular separation between a candidate beam and a reference beam.

[00120] In Example 34, the subject matter of Example 33 optionally includes wherein the reference beam is one of a currently used beam by the UE or a maximum reference signal received power (RSRP) beam.

[00121] In Example 35, the subject matter of any one or more of

Examples 31-34 optionally include wherein: the source serving cell is a Next Generation Node-B (gNB) serving cell; the current cell is associated with a first Transmit-Receive Point (TRP); and the one or more neighboring cells are associated with at least a second TRP.

[00122] In Example 36, the subject matter of Example 35 optionally includes wherein the first and second TRPs are located within the source serving cell.

[00123] In Example 37, the subject matter of any one or more of

Examples 35-36 optionally include wherein the first TRP is located within the source serving cell, and the at least second TRP is located within another source serving cell associated with a second gNB.

[00124] In Example 38, the subject matter of any one or more of

Examples 31-37 optionally include wherein the Measurement Report message includes a number of the avail able beams.

[00125] In Example 39, the subject matter of any one or more of

Examples 31-38 optionally include wherein the Measurement Report message includes beam identifications (IDs) of one or more beams of the available beams, with a power level above a pre-determined power threshold.

[00126] Although an embodiment has been described with reference to specific example embodiments, it will be evident that various modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. The accompanying drawings that form a part hereof show, by way of illustration, and not of limitation, specific embodiments in which the subject matter may be practiced. The embodiments illustrated are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the teachings disclosed herein. Other embodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom, such that structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. This Detailed Description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of various embodiments is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

[00127] Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred to herein, individually and/or collectively, merely for convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope of this application to any single embodiment or inventive concept if more than one is in fact disclosed. Thus, although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific

embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments. Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description.

[00128] The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can be seen that various features are grouped together in a single embodiment for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus of a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: memory; and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry configured to:

decode a first radio resource control (RRC) message with a Measurement Configuration Information Element (IE) from a source serving cell, the Measurement Configuration IE including a request for available beams with a power level above a power threshold;

in response to detection of an event trigger associated with one or more neighboring cells, initiate a handover from the source serving cell to another serving cell, wherein to initiate the handover the processing circuitry is to:

perform measurements of the one or more neighboring cell to determine the avail ble beams for a plurality of frequencies ithin a frequency range; and

frequencies, with a power level above the power threshold; and in response to the handover request, decode a second RRC message with a handover instruction, the handover instruction identifying one of the available beams and a corresponding one of the frequencies for use after the handover.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

decode a configuration message from the source serving cell, the configuration message specifying the event trigger.

3. The apparatus of any of claims 1-2, wherein the event trigger is a blocked communication channel between the UE and the one or more neighboring cells.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the source serving cell is one of a Next Generation Node-B (gNB) serving cell or an Evolved Node-B (eNB) serving cell.

5. The apparatus of any of claims 1-2 and 4, wherein the UE is within a current cell associated with a first Transmit- eceive Point (TRP), and the another serving cell is a second TRP, the first and second TRPs within the source serving cell.

6. The apparatus of any of claim s 1-2, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

decode a second RRC message identifying the power threshold.

7. The apparatus of any of claims 1 and 4, wherein the Measurement Configuration IE includes a request for available beams with a beam count higher than a threshold beam count.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the Measurement Configuration IE includes an angular separation threshold, and the processing circuitry is further configured to:

filter the available beams to include beams with angular separation from a reference beam that is above the angular separation threshold.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the reference beam is one of a currently used beam or a maximum reference signal received power (RSRP) beam.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the Measurement Report message further identifies angle differences between candidate beam pairs selected from the available beams.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the Measurement Report message further identifies an average or a median of the angle differences between the candidate beam pairs,

12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising transceiver circuitry coupled to the processing circuitry; and one or more antennas coupled to the transceiver circuitry,

13. An apparatus of a Node-B (NB), the apparatus comprising:

memory; and processing circuitry, configured to:

encode a first radio resource control (RRC) message with a

Measurement Configuration Information Element (IE) for transmission to a user equipment (UE), the Measurement Configuration IE including a request for beams available to the UE with a power level above a power threshold;

in response to a handover request from the UE, decode a

Measurement Report message identifying the available beams for a plurality of frequencies within a frequency range, the available beams associated with one or more neighboring cells of the UE;

select one of the available beams for the handover, based on beam measurements received with the Measurement Report message; and

encode a second RRC message with a handover instruction, the handover instaiction identifying the selected beam and a corresponding one of the frequencies for use after the handover.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the NB is one of a Next Generation Node-B (gNB) or an Evolved Node-B (eNB).

15. The apparatus of any of claims 13-14, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

encode a configuration message for transmission to the UE, the configuration message specifying an event trigger for performing the beam measurements by the UE.

6. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the event trigger is a blocked communication channel between the LIE and the one or more neighboring cells.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the beam measurements include one or both of power level and noise level associated with the available beams.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processing circuitry is further confi gured to :

encode an angular separation threshold within the Measurement Configuration IE, the angular separation threshold indicating a maximum angular separation between a candidate beam and a reference beam .

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the reference beam is one of a currently used beam by the UE or a maximum reference signal received power (RSRP) beam.

20. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the beam measurements received with the Measurement Report message further identify one of: angle differences between candidate beam pairs selected from the available beams, and

an average of the angle differences between the candidate beam pairs.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

select one of the available beams for the handover further based on the angle differences or the average of the angle differences,

22. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions for execution by one or more processors, the instructions to configure the one or more processors to cause an apparatus of a user equipment (UE) to: decode a radio resource control (RRC) message with a

Measurement Configuration Information Element (IE) from a source serving cell, the Measurement Configuration EE including a request for available beams with angular separation above an angular threshold;

detect an event trigger associated with a blocked communication channel between a current cell of the UE and one or more neighboring cells;

in response to the event trigger, perform measurements of the one or more neighboring cells to determine the available beams for a plurality of frequencies within a frequency range, having angular separation above the angular threshold; and

encode a handover request message for transmission to the source serving cell, the handover request including a Measurement Report message identifying the available beams for the plurality of frequencies.

23. The non -transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the instructions configure the one or more processors to further cause the apparatus to:

decode a second RRC message with a handover instruction, the handover instruction identifying one of the available beams and a corresponding one of the frequencies for use after the handover.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of any of claims 22-23, wherein the angular separation threshold indicates a maximum angular separation between a candidate beam and a reference beam.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein the reference beam is one of a currently used beam by the UE or a maximum reference signal received power (RSRP) beam.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein: the source serving cell is a Next Generation Node-B (gNB) serving cell;

the current cell is associated with a first Transmit-Receive Point (TRP); and

the one or more neighboring cells are associated with at least a second TRP.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein the first and second TRPs are located within the source serving cell.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein the first TRP is located within the source serving cell, and the at least second TRP is located within another source serving cell associated with a second gNB.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the Measurement Report message includes a number of the available beams.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the Measurement Report message includes beam identifications (IDs) of one or more beams of the available beams, with a power level above a pre-determined power threshold.