WO2024168910A1

WO2024168910A1 - Devices, methods and apparatuses for channel state information reporting

Info

Publication number: WO2024168910A1
Application number: PCT/CN2023/076981
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hao Liu; Filippo Tosato; Tao Yang
Original assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy; Nokia Technologies Oy
Current assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy; Nokia Technologies Oy
Priority date: 2023-02-17
Filing date: 2023-02-17
Publication date: 2024-08-22
Anticipated expiration: 2025-08-17
Also published as: CN120712820A

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure disclose devices, methods and apparatuses for channel state information reporting. A terminal device obtains, from a plurality of value combinations each indicating information on numbers of spatial domain (SD) basis respectively for multiple transmission and reception points (TRPs), a value combination for the terminal device, wherein the plurality of value combinations comprise at least a value combination with different values. The terminal device transmits a channel state information report generated based on the obtained value combination to a network device.

Description

DEVICES, METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR CHANNEL STATE INFORMATION REPORTING

FIELD

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of communication, and in particular, to devices, methods, apparatuses and computer readable storage medium for channel state information (CSI) reporting.

BACKGROUND

With the development of communication technologies, multiple transmission and reception points (mTRP) transmission was proposed to enable the network device , for example, a 5th generation technology standard for broadband cellular networks (5G) gNode B (gNB) base station, to use more than one TRP to communicate with user equipment (UE) . The mTRP improvements are aimed to optimizing network performance and robustness.

In The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) release 18 (Rel. 18) coherent joint transmission (CJT) , the selection of channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resources for respective TRPs is performed by the UE and reported as a part of CSI report, for example, for Type-II codebook refinement for CJT mTRP. In addition, in order to decrease the signaling overhead of CSI reporting, a selection of spatial domain (SD) basis may be made by the terminal device to compress and reduce the spatial dimension of downlink channels connecting multiple cooperating TRPs to the terminal device However, there are many challenges in configuration and selection of SD basis currently and thus there is still a need to improve the SD basis configurations and channel state information reporting.

SUMMARY

In general, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide devices, methods, apparatuses and computer readable storage medium for CSI reporting.

In a first aspect, there is provided a terminal device. The terminal device includes one or more transceivers; and one or more processors coupled to the one or more transceivers, wherein the one or more transceivers are configured with the one or more processors to cause the terminal device to: obtain, from a plurality of value combinations each indicating information on numbers of spatial domain (SD) basis respectively for multiple transmission and reception points (TRPs) , a value combination for the terminal device, wherein the plurality of value combinations comprise at least a value combination with different values; and transmit a channel state information report generated based on the obtained value combination to a network device.

In a second aspect, there is provided a network device. The network device includes one or more transceivers; and one or more processors coupled to the one or more transceivers, wherein the one or more transceivers are configured with the one or more processors to cause the network device to: transmit a value combination indication to a terminal device, wherein the value combination indication indicates information for the terminal device to obtain, from a plurality of value combinations each indicating information on numbers of spatial domain (SD) basis respectively for multiple transmission and reception points (TRPs) , a value combination for the terminal device, wherein the plurality of value combinations comprise at least a value combination with different values; and receive a channel state information report generated based on the obtained value combination from the terminal device.

In a third aspect, there is provided a method implemented at a terminal device. The method includes: obtaining, from a plurality of value combinations each indicating information on numbers of spatial domain (SD) basis respectively for multiple transmission and reception points (TRPs) , a value combination for the terminal device, wherein the plurality of value combinations comprise at least a value combination with different values; and transmitting a channel state information report generated based on the obtained value combination to a network device.

In a fourth aspect, there is provided a method implemented at a network device. The method includes: transmitting a value combination indication to a terminal device, wherein the value combination indication indicates information for the terminal device to obtain, from a plurality of value combinations each indicating information on numbers of spatial domain (SD) basis respectively for multiple transmission and reception points (TRPs) , a value combination for the terminal device, wherein the plurality of value combinations comprise at least a value combination with different values; and receiving a channel state information report generated based on the obtained value combination from the terminal device.

In a fifth aspect, there is provided an apparatus of a terminal device. The apparatus includes: means for obtaining, from a plurality of value combinations each indicating information on numbers of spatial domain (SD) basis respectively for multiple transmission and reception points (TRPs) , a value combination for the terminal device, wherein the plurality of value combinations comprise at least a value combination with different values; and means for transmitting a channel state information report generated based on the obtained value combination to a network device.

In a sixth aspect, there is provided an apparatus of a network device. The apparatus includes: means for transmitting a value combination indication to a terminal device, wherein the value combination indication indicates information for the terminal device to obtain, from a plurality of value combinations each indicating information on numbers of spatial domain (SD) basis respectively for multiple transmission and reception points (TRPs) , a value combination for the terminal device, wherein the plurality of value combinations comprise at least a value combination with different values; and means for receiving a channel state information report generated based on the obtained value combination from the terminal device.

In a seventh aspect, there is provided a terminal device. The terminal device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program codes, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program codes are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to: obtain, from a plurality of value combinations each indicating information on numbers of spatial domain (SD) basis respectively for multiple transmission and reception points (TRPs) , a value combination for the terminal device, wherein the plurality of value combinations comprise at least a value combination with different values; and transmit a channel state information report generated based on the obtained value combination to a network device.

In an eighth aspect, there is provided a network device. The network device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program codes, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program codes are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the network device to: transmit a value combination indication to a terminal device, wherein the value combination indication indicates information for the terminal device to obtain, from a plurality of value combinations each indicating information on numbers of spatial domain (SD) basis respectively for multiple transmission and reception points (TRPs) , a value combination for the terminal device, wherein the plurality of value combinations comprise at least a value combination with different values; and receive a channel state information report generated based on the obtained value combination from the terminal device.

In a ninth aspect, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method according to any of the third or fourth aspect.

In a tenth aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising instructions, which, when executed by an apparatus at a terminal device, cause the apparatus at least to: obtain, from a plurality of value combinations each indicating information on numbers of spatial domain (SD) basis respectively for multiple transmission and reception points (TRPs) , a value combination for the terminal device, wherein the plurality of value combinations comprise at least a value combination with different values; and transmit a channel state information report generated based on the obtained value combination to a network device.

In a eleventh aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising instructions, which, when executed by an apparatus at a network device, cause the apparatus at least to: transmit a value combination indication to a terminal device, wherein the value combination indication indicates information for the terminal device to obtain, from a plurality of value combinations each indicating information on numbers of spatial domain (SD) basis respectively for multiple transmission and reception points (TRPs) , a value combination for the terminal device, wherein the plurality of value combinations comprise at least a value combination with different values; and receive a channel state information report generated based on the obtained value combination from the terminal device.

In a twelfth aspect, there is provided a terminal device. The terminal device includes obtaining circuitry configured to obtain, from a plurality of value combinations each indicating information on numbers of spatial domain (SD) basis respectively for multiple transmission and reception points (TRPs) , a value combination for the terminal device, wherein the plurality of value combinations comprise at least a value combination with different values; and transmitting circuitry configured to transmit a channel state information report generated based on the obtained value combination to a network device.

In a thirteenth aspect, there is provided a network device. The network device includes transmitting circuitry configured to transmit a value combination indication to a terminal device, wherein the value combination indication indicates information for the terminal device to obtain, from a plurality of value combinations each indicating information on numbers of spatial domain (SD) basis respectively for multiple transmission and reception points (TRPs) a value combination for the terminal device, wherein the plurality of value combinations comprise at least a value combination with different values; and receiving circuitry configured to receive a channel state information report generated based on the obtained value combination from the terminal device.

It is to be understood that the summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become easily comprehensible through the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, where:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example network environment in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example signaling flow between a terminal device and a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example flowchart of a method implemented at a terminal device according to example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example flowchart of a method implemented at a network device, serving as a candidate cell, according to some other example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates an example simplified block diagram of a device that is suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 6 illustrates an example block diagram of an example computer readable medium in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar element.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Principle of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It is to be understood that these embodiments are described only for the purpose of illustration and help those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without suggesting any limitation as to the scope of the disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various manners other than the ones described below.

In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skills in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

References in the present disclosure to “one embodiment, ” “an embodiment, ” “an example embodiment, ” and the like indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but it is not necessary that every embodiment includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

It shall be understood that although the terms “first” and “second” etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of example embodiments. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a” , “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” , “comprising” , “has” , “having” , “includes” and/or “including” , when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements, and/or components etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and/or combinations thereof. As used herein, “at least one of the following: <a list of two or more elements>” and “at least one of <a list of two or more elements>” and similar wording, where the list of two or more elements are joined by “and” or “or” , mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all the elements.

As used in this application, the term “circuitry” may refer to one or more or all of the following:

(a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and/or digital circuitry) and

(b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable) :

(i) a combination of analog and/or digital hardware circuit (s) with software/firmware and

(ii) any portions of hardware processor (s) with software (including digital signal processor (s) ) , software, and memory (ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions) and

(c) hardware circuit (s) and or processor (s) , such as a microprocessor (s) or a portion of a microprocessor (s) , that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation.

This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and/or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

As used herein, the term “communication network” refers to a network following any suitable communication standards, such as long term evolution (LTE) , LTE-advanced (LTE-A) , wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) , high-speed packet access (HSPA) , narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) and so on. Furthermore, the communications between a terminal device and a network device in the communication network may be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocols, including, but not limited to, the third generation (3G) , the fourth generation (4G) , 4.5G, the future fifth generation (5G) communication protocols, and/or any other protocols either currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied in various communication systems. Given the rapid development in communications, there will of course also be future type communication technologies and systems with which the present disclosure may be embodied. It should not be seen as limiting the scope of the present disclosure to only the aforementioned system.

As used herein, the term “network device” refers to a node in a communication network via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services therefrom. The network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP) , for example, a node B (NodeB or NB) , an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB) , a new radio (NR) NB (also referred to as a gNB) , a remote radio unit (RRU) , a radio header (RH) , a remote radio head (RRH) , a relay, a low power node such as a femto, a pico, and so forth, depending on the applied terminology and technology.

The term “terminal device” refers to any end device that may be capable of wireless communication. By way of example rather than limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE) , a subscriber station (SS) , a portable subscriber station, a mobile station (MS) , or an access terminal (AT) . The terminal device may include, but not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, a tablet, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA) , portable computers, desktop computer, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback appliances, vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE) , laptop-mounted equipment (LME) , USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer-premises equipment (CPE) , an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD) , a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e.g., remote surgery) , an industrial device and applications (e.g., a robot and/or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and/or an automated processing chain contexts) , a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and/or industrial wireless networks, and the like. In the following description, the terms “terminal device” , “communication device” , “terminal” , “user equipment” and “UE” may be used interchangeably.

The SD basis selection is used to compress and reduce the spatial dimension of downlink channels connecting multiple cooperating TRPs to UE. The gNB may first configure, via an RRC signaling, a set of N_L value combinations forin terms of a configured number for example N_TRP∈ {1, 2, 3, 4} , where L_n is the number of SD basis for n-th CSI-RS resource and n ∈ {1, 2, …, N_TRP} , and the gNB transmits, to the UE, the set of N_L value combinations for the SD basis selection.

The UE receives the configured set of the N_L value combinations, and reports the selected value combination in CSI part 1. However, there are many challenges or problems in specifying the set of N_L value combinations for the SD basis selection.

The inventors notice that the set of N_L value combinations formay be different for a different value of N_TRP. At least there are 4 types of value combination set related to N_TRP∈ {1, 2, 3, 4} respectively. The value of L_n may be from the legacy candidate values, i.e. L_n∈ {2, 4, 6} . Thus, there may be various value combination configurations for each type of value combination set.

For example, in a case of N_TRP = 1, the set of value combinations of numbers of SD basis includes only three value combinations, i.e. N_L = 3, including {2} , {4} , and {6} . When the value of N_TRP increases, the value of N_L would be larger correspondingly. For example, in a case of N_TRP = 3, the set of value combinations of numbers of SD basis includes twenty-seven value combinations, i.e. N_L = 27, including at least {2, 2, 2} , {2, 2, 4} , {2, 2, 6} , {4, 4, 4} , {6, 6, 6} , etc. Therefore, it will be difficult for the gNB to configure a large amount of proper value combinations, and thus the UE may report the selected value combination using more feedback bits of an indicator in CSI part 1.

Moreover, currently, there is no mechanism to connect each value of L_n with the specific CSI-RS resource associated with a specific TRP, either. For example, the value of L_n may be configured to n-th CSI-RS resource, where n ∈ {1, 2, …, N_TRP} . The UE may select N∈ {1, 2, …, N_TRP} CSI-RS resources from N_TRP gNB-configured CSI-RS resources and report the selection results via N_TRP-bit bitmap in CSI part 1. Thus, the UE can obtain the number of SD basis for each one of N selected CSI-RS resources. Generally, dominant TRPs (i.e. closer to the UE or larger receive power to the UE) should be allocated more SD basis, and thus the UE may select the optimal value combination to ensure the dominant TRPs have larger values of L_n. However, the pre-configured value of L_n may not be aligned with the UE preference and the overall CSI accuracy across multiple TRPs may be affected.

Thus, there is a need for improved solutions for CSI reporting to further more simply and efficiently design the set of value combinations of the numbers of SD basis for multiple cooperating TRPs to address or at least partially alleviate at least a part of the problems noticed by the inventors.

In view of the above, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a new solution for CSI reporting. In this solution, a terminal device obtains, from a plurality of value combinations, a value combination for the terminal device. The plurality of value combinations include at least a value combination with different values and each of the plurality of value combinations indicates information on numbers of spatial domain (SD) basis respectively for multiple transmission and reception points (TRPs) . Then, the terminal device transmits, to a network device, a CSI report generated based on the obtained value combination. At least a value combination with different values may indicate that the values in the value combination is different. Each value in the value combination corresponds to information on the number of SD basis of a TRP.

With the embodiments, for different values of N_TRP, the design mechanism for the set of N_L value combinations may be similar, and thus it is possible to reduce the feedback consumption of the UE. Besides, each value of L_n is not connected with a specific CSI-RS resource or TRP, and thus it is possible to improve the overall CSI accuracy across multiple TRPs.

Hereinafter, principle and embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Reference is first made to FIG. 1, which illustrates an example network environment 100 in which example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, the system 100 includes three network devices, such as network device 120, network device 121 and network device 122. Each of the network devices 120, 121 and 122 may have one respective group of antenna ports. In other words, the network devices 120, 121 and 122 may be associated with or functioned as three respective TRPs, and thus sometimes they can be also referred to as TRP 120, TRP 121, and TRP 122 in the present disclosure. For clarity purposes, TRP 120 may be also referred to a first TRP, TRP 121 may be referred to a second TRP, and TRP 122 may be referred to a third TRP.

The network devices 120, 121 and 122 may each operate using different or same frequency bands in both DL and UL. In communication systems, “UL” refers to a communication link in a direction from a terminal device to a network device, and “DL” refers to a communication link in a direction from the network device to the terminal device.

The system 100 also includes one or more terminal devices, such as terminal device 110. The terminal device 110 are capable of connecting, for example wirelessly, and communicating in an UL and DL with either or all of the network devices 120, 121 and 122 depending on location of the terminal devices in the cells of the network devices 120, 121 and 122. The terminal device 110 may be configured to be communicated with network via one or more TRPs, for example 3 TRPs. The three TRPs may be located within the same cell (intra-cell TRP) or within different cells (inter-cell TRP) .

It is to be understood that the number of the terminal device 110, and the number of the network devices 120, 121 and 122 as shown in the communication network environment 100 are only for the purpose of illustration, without any limitation to the scope of the present disclosure. In some example embodiments, the communication network environment 100 may include any number of terminal devices, and/or any number of network devices.

The communications in the network environment 100 may follow any suitable communication standards or protocols, which are already in existence or to be developed in the future, such as universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) , long term evolution (LTE) , LTE-advanced (LTE-A) , the fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) , the sixth generation (6G) or beyond, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) and worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) standards, and employs any suitable communication technologies, including, for example, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) , orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) , time division multiplexing (TDM) , frequency division multiplexing (FDM) , code division multiplexing (CDM) , bluetooth, ZigBee, and machine type communication (MTC) , enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) , massive machine type communication (mMTC) , ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC) , carrier aggregation (CA) , dual connectivity (DC) , and new radio unlicensed (NR-U) technologies.

In some example embodiments, any of the network devices 120, 121 and 122 may transmit a value combination indication to the terminal device 110. In some embodiments, the network device providing the serving cell may transmit the value combination indication. Upon reception of the value combination indication, the terminal device 110 may obtain, from a plurality of value combinations a value combination for the terminal device 110. Each of the plurality of value combinations indicates information on numbers of SD basis respectively for multiple TRPs, and the plurality of value combinations may include at least a value combination with different values. Then, the terminal device 110 may transmit, to the network devices 120, 121 and/or 122, a CSI report generated based on the obtained value combination.

In some embodiments, the network devices 120, 121 and 122 may transmit, to the terminal device 110, a basic value configuration indicative of information on a basic number of SD basis. As another example, the network devices 120, 121 and 122 may also transmit, to the terminal device 110, an indication indicative of whether the value combination for the terminal device includes a common value for each TRP or different values for at least two TRPs and /or a basic value configuration indicative of information on a basic number of SD basis. Based on the received basic value configuration and/or the indication, the terminal device may obtain a value combination for CSI reporting.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example signaling flow 200 between a terminal device and a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the signaling flow 200 will be described with reference to FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal device 110 obtains (260) , from a plurality of value combinations, a value combination for the terminal device 110. Each of the plurality of value combinations indicates information on numbers of SD basis respectively for multiple TRPs. The plurality of value combinations may include at least a value combination with different values. Then the terminal device 110 transmits (265) to the network device 120 a CSI report (270) based on the number of SD basis as indicated in the obtained value combination. Accordingly, the network device 120 receives (275) the CSI report (270) from the terminal device 110.

In some embodiments, two principles for value combination design may be considered for the plurality of value combinations forwhen N_TRP>1.

- Principle 1: for different N_TRP value, it may have the similar design method or structure for the set of N_L combinations of values for

- Principle 2: Each value L_n ofis not connected with any specific CSI-RS resource or TRP.

In some embodiments, the following two rules of value combinations may be considered:

1) a value combination forincludes a common value for each TRP, that is,

2) a value combination forincludes different values for at least two TRPs, that is, Or it can be understood that at least one L_n (for example) value of one TRP is different from L_x (for example ) of other TRPs. Or it can be understood that at most two different values are included in the value combination. A dominant TRP may use a lager value of the two different values and all other TRPs use a smaller value of the two different values.

In the above value combinations, a value of SD basis selection for one TRP is not smaller than a value of SD basis selection for other TRPs which have a common value. In other words, a value different from other values in each of the plurality of value combinations is a largest value in the each of the plurality of value combinations.

By means of such mechanism, it is possible to have the six value combinations: {2, 2, …, 2} , {2, 2, …, 4} , {2, 2, …, 6} , {4, 4, …, 4} , {4, 4, …, 6} , and {6, 6, …, 6} in case of L_n∈ {2, 4, 6} .

In some example embodiments, the plurality of value combinations may be predefined, for example predefined by the communication protocol, specification or standards. As another example, the plurality of value combinations may be configured by the network device 120, for example, via an RRC signaling, an MAC CE, etc.

In some embodiments, the network device may configure with or indicate to the terminal device a part of the plurality of value combinations. For example, the terminal device is indicated to or configured with the value combinations {2, 2, …, 2} , {2, 2, …, 4} , and {2, 2, …, 6} (or even a part of the value combinations) , or the value combinations {4, 4, …, 4} , {4, 4, …, 6} , or the value combination {6, 6, …, 6} .

In some example embodiments, the network device 120 may transmit (201) a basic value configuration (205) to the terminal device 110. The basic value may indicate the number of SD basis. The basic value may be for example any of the possible value sets L∈ {2, 4, 6} . Accordingly, the terminal device 110 may receive (210) the basic value configuration (205) from the network device 120. The terminal device 110 may obtain the value combination therefor based on the basic value configuration (205) .

For example, the terminal device may obtain the value combination based on the basic value L, and the predefined or preconfigured value combinations. For example, if L=6, the value combination {6, 6, …, 6} .

In some example embodiments, two or more value combination may be obtained based on the basic value configuration, for example, when a same basic value corresponds to more than one value combination. In such a case, the terminal device 110 may further obtain one value combination by selecting a value combination for SD basis from the two or more value combinations, for example, based on for example CSI-RS measurements. For example, if L=2, the terminal device 120 may obtain the value combinations {2, 2, …, 2} , {2, 2, …, 4} , and {2, 2, …, 6} . Then, the terminal device may select {2, 2, …, 4} therefrom based on measurement. In some other embodiments, the selection of the value combination may also be based on other rules or is even made randomly.

In some example embodiments, the plurality of value combinations may be obtained at the terminal device upon reception of the basic value based on a predetermined rule, for the above mechanisms. The network device may also obtain in a similarly way or just have predetermined set of value combinations.

For example, in a case when the network device 120 transmits a basic value (L=2) of SD basis for the multiple TRPs to the terminal device 110, the terminal device 110 may obtain a set of N_L value combinations forbased on the basic value and the above rules of value combinations.

For example, for L =2, the numbers of SD basis of the N TRPs is andThat is, in this case, N_L=3, there are three value combinations includes {2, 2, …, 2} , {2, 2, …, 4} , and {2, 2, …, 6} . Then, the terminal device 110 may select one value combination for SD basis from the above three value combinations. At the same time, the terminal device may tell the network device which CSI-RS resource hasFor example, the TRP with the strongest coefficient in the first layer can be set to this value.

As another example, in a case when the network device 120 transmits a basic value (L=4) of SD basis for the multiple TRPs to the terminal device 110, the terminal device 110 may obtain a set of N_L value combinations forbased on the basic value and the above rules of value combinations. For L =4, the numbers of SD basis of the N TRPs areandThat is, in this case, N_L=2, and two value combinations may be obtained, including {4, 4, …, 4} , and {4, 4, …, 6} . The terminal device 110 may select one value combination for SD basis from the above two value combinations. At the same time, the terminal device may tell the network device which CSI-RS resource hasFor example, the TRP with the strongest coefficient in the first layer can be set to this value.

As another example, in a case when the network device 120 transmits a basic number (L=6) of SD basis for the multiple TRPs to the terminal device 110, the terminal device 110 may obtain a set of N_L value combinations forwhere andThat is, in this case, N_L=1, and only one value combination may be obtained, i.e., {6, 6, …, 6} .

It is to be understood that the basic value configuration may directly indicate the basic number of SD basis for the multiple TRPs, namely, L, or alternatively the basic value configuration may indicate a ratio value which is used to determine the basic number of SD basis for the multiple TRPs, for example, a ratio value α.

In some example embodiments, the basic value configuration may directly indicate the basic number of SD basis for the multiple TRPs, namely, L. In this case, the value combinations each indicating information on numbers of SD basis respectively for multiple TRPs may indicate a value combination such as

In some example embodiments, the basic value configuration may indicate a ratio value, which is used to determine the basic number of SD basis for the multiple TRPs. For example, the basic value configuration may indicate a ratio value α, and L may be determined based on the following respectively:

L=αP_CSI-RS/2, where

In this case, the value combinations each indicating information on numbers of SD basis respectively for multiple TRPs may be determined based on the ratio α_n . Thus, it is also possible to obtain or generate a set of values L_n, such asAs another option, a value combination may be directly represented by a set of ratios for respective TRPs, for example,

L_n=α_nP_CSI-RS/2, where

In the above example embodiments, based on the basic value L, it may obtain a set of value combinations, which may include a value combination with the common value only, or include both a value combination with different values and a value combination with a common value. In other words, the value combination with different values and the value combination with a common value may be contained in the plurality of value combinations.

In some embodiments, the network device may also use an indicator (1 bit, for example) via higher-layer (RRC) signaling to indicate whether values in the value combination are common or different. In such a case, the value combinations may indicate either a value combination with different values or a value combination with a common.

As shown in FIG. 2, in some example embodiments, the network device 120 may transmit (215) an indication indicative of whether the value combination for the terminal device 110 includes a common value for each TRP or different values for at least two TRPs (220) to the terminal device 110. Accordingly, the terminal device 110 may receive (225) the indication from the network device 120. Then, the terminal device 110 may obtain the value combination for the terminal device 110 based on the indication.

For example, when the network device 120 transmits an indication indicative of the value combination with a common value for each TRP, the terminal device will know only the value combinations with common value may be candidate value combinations, for example {2, 2, …, 2} , {4, 4, …, 4} , {6, 6, …, 6} in case of L_n∈ {2, 4, 6} .

On the other hand, when the network device 120 transmits an indication indicative of the value combination with different values for at least two TRPs, the terminal device will know only the value combinations with different values may be candidate value combinations, for example, {2, 2, …, 4} , {2, 2, …, 6} , {4, 4, …, 6} in case of L_n∈ {2, 4, 6} .

In some example embodiments, the network device 120 may also transmit a basic value configuration to the terminal device 110. Accordingly, the terminal device 110 may receive the basic value configuration from the network device 120 and obtain the value combination for the terminal device 110 based on the indication and the basic value configuration

When the network device 120 transmits an indication indicative of the value combination with a common value for each TRP and the basic value, the terminal device 110 may obtain one value combination with the common value corresponding to the basic value. When the network device 120 transmits an indication indicative of the value combination with different values for at least two TRPs, the terminal device 110 may obtain one or more value combinations for the terminal device 110 with different values but the minimum value w corresponding to the basic value.

Then, the terminal device 110 may select a value combination for SD basis if more than one value combinations for the terminal device 110 is obtained. At the same time, the terminal device may tell the network device which CSI-RS resource hasFor example, the TRP with the strongest coefficient in the first layer can be set to this value.

For example, in a case of L_n∈ {2, 4, 6} , when the network device 120 transmits an indication indicative of the value combination with common value for each TRP and a basic number L=2 of SD basis for the multiple TRPs to the terminal device 110. The terminal device 110 may obtain only one value combination forwhereThat is, in this case, N_L=1 and the set of one value combinations includes only {2, 2, …, 2} .

As another example, in a case of L_n∈ {2, 4, 6} , when the network device 120 transmits an indication indicative of the value combination with different values for at least two TRPs and also transmits a basic number L=2 of SD basis for the multiple TRPs to the terminal device 110. The terminal device 110 may obtain a set of N_L value combinations forwhereandThat is, in this case, N_L=2, and the set of two value combinations include {2, 2, …, 4} , and {2, 2, …, 6} . The terminal device 110 may select one value combination for SD basis from the above two value combinations. At the same time, the terminal device may tell the network device which CSI-RS resource hasFor example, the TRP with the strongest coefficient in the first layer can be set to this value.

As another example, in a case of L_n∈ {2, 4, 6} , when the network device 120 transmits an indication indicative of the value combination with different values for at least two TRPs and also transmits a basic number L=4 of SD basis for the multiple TRPs to the terminal device 110. The terminal device 110 may obtain a set of N_L value combinations forwhereandThat is, in this case, N_L=1, and the set of value combinations includes only {4, 4, …, 6} .

However, for the basic number L=6, the value combination can only have the same values in a case of L_n∈ {2, 4, 6} and thus this case is not valid if the indication to the terminal device indicates a value combination with different values.

In some embodiments, the network device 120 may transmit the indication indicative of the value combination with a common value for each TRP and then transmit the basic value configuration, the network device may transmit the basic value configuration and then transmit the indication indicative of the value combination for the terminal device 120 includes a common value for each TRP, or the network device may transmit the indication indicative of the value combination for the terminal device 110 includes a common value for each TRP and the basic value configuration at the same time, for example in a same message.

Referring back to FIG. 2, in some example embodiments, the network device 120 may alternatively transmit (230) an indication of the value combination for the terminal device (235) to the terminal device 110. Accordingly, the terminal device 110 may receive (240) the indication of the value combination for the terminal device (240) from the network device 120. Then, the terminal device 110 may obtain the value combination for the terminal device 110 based on the indication from the network device 120.

In some example embodiments, each one of the plurality of value combinations is associated with a respective indicator such as an index. And in such a case, the network device 120 may transmit an indicator to the terminal device 110 to inform the terminal device 110 of the value combination.

For example, in a case of L_n∈ {2, 4, 6} , each of the six value combinations may be associated with an index. For example, a value combination {2, 2, …, 2} is associated with an index 0, a value combination {2, 2, …, 4} is associated with an index 1, a value combination {2, 2, …, 6} is associated with an index 2, and so on. Therefore, when the network device 120 transmits the index 0, the terminal device 110 may obtains the value combination {2, 2, …, 2} corresponding to the index 0. When the network device 120 transmits the index 1, the terminal device 110 may obtain the value combination {2, 2, …, 4} corresponding to the index 1.

In some example embodiments, the indications of the plurality of value combinations may be predefined. Alternatively, the indications of the plurality of value combinations may be configured by the network device 120.

It is to be understood that the network device 120 may transmit only one indicator and then the terminal device 110 correspondingly obtains only one value combination, or alternatively the network device 120 may transmit more than one indicators in the same message, the terminal device 110 may obtain more than one value combinations accordingly. Then the terminal device 110 selects a value combination for SD basis from the obtained more than one value combinations.

Referring back to FIG. 2, in some example embodiments, the network device 120 may transmit (245) a plurality of value combinations (250) to the terminal device 110. Accordingly, the terminal device 110 may receive (255) the plurality of value combinations (250) to the terminal device 110, and the terminal device 110 obtains a value combination for the terminal device 110 from the plurality of value combinations.

In some example embodiments, the plurality of value combinations may be configured by the network device 120. For example, the gNB configures the plurality of value combinations using an indicator (w/1 bit, or more) via higher-layer (RRC) signaling. For example, different value of the indicator indicates different set of value combinations.

For example, the plurality of value combinations may be configured based on the basic value configuration. For example, in a case of L_n∈ {2, 4, 6} , the plurality of value combinations may be configured to include {2, 2, …, 2} , {2, 2, …, 4} , and {2, 2, …, 6} corresponding to L=2. The network device 120 transmits or configured with the value combinations {2, 2, …, 2} , {2, 2, …, 4} , and {2, 2, …, 6} to the terminal device 110. Accordingly, the terminal device 110 may select a value combination for SD basis from the value combinations {2, 2, …, 2} , {2, 2, …, 4} , and {2, 2, …, 6} .

As another example, the plurality of value combinations may be configured according to whether the value combination has a common value for each TRP or different values for at least two TRPs and the basic value configuration. For example, in a case of L_n∈{2, 4, 6} , when the basic number of SD basis for the multiple TRPs, the value combination may be configured to include only {2, 2, …, 2} corresponding to L=2 and the value combination with a common value for each TRP. The network device 120 transmits or configure with the value combination {2, 2, …, 2} to the terminal device 110. Accordingly, the terminal device 110 may obtain the value combination {2, 2, …, 2} .

On the other hand, in case of L=2 and the value combination includes different values for at least two TRPs, the plurality of value combinations may be configured to include {2, 2, …, 4} and {2, 2, …, 6} . The network device 120 transmits the value combinations {2, 2, …, 4} and {2, 2, …, 6} to the terminal device 110. Accordingly, the terminal device 110 may select a value combination for SD basis from the value combinations {2, 2, …, 4} , and {2, 2, …, 6} . In case of L=4 and the value combination with different values for at least two TRPs, the plurality of value combinations may be configured to include {4, 4, …, 6} . The network device 120 transmits the value combination {4, 4, …, 6} to the terminal device 110. Accordingly, the terminal device 110 may obtain the value combination {4, 4, …, 6} .

In some example embodiments, the plurality of value combinations may be predefined, for example predefined by the communication protocol, specification or standards. The terminal device 110 obtains the value combination for the terminal device from the predefined plurality of value combinations. In this case, the network device 120 does not need to transmit, to the terminal device 110, an indication indicating the terminal device 110 to configure the plurality of value combinations.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2, in some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may transmit (265) a CSI report (270) generated based on the obtained value combination to the network device 120. Accordingly, the network device 120 may receive (275) the CSI report (270) from the terminal device 110.

In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may transmit (280) an indication on the obtained value combination (285) to the network device 120. Accordingly, the network device 120 may receive (290) the obtained value combination (285) from the terminal device 110.

For example, when the terminal device 110 obtains more than one value combinations, the terminal device 110 should select a value combination for SD basis from the obtained more than one value combinations. The terminal device 110 may transmit an indication on the selected value combination to the network device. In other words, the UE has to tell gNB which CSI-RS resource hasFor example, the TRP w/the strongest coefficient in the first layer can be set to this value of

In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may transmit (295) an indication of a plurality of SD (296) selected based on the obtained value combination to the network device 120. Accordingly, the network device 120 may receive (297) the indication of a plurality of SD (296) selected based on the obtained value combination from the terminal device 110.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example flowchart of a method 300 implemented at a terminal device according to example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the method 300 will be described from the perspective of the terminal device 110 with reference to FIG. 1. It would be appreciated that although the method 300 has been described from the perspective of the terminal device 110, the method 300 may be performed by any other terminal device.

At 310, the terminal device 110 obtains, from a plurality of value combinations each indicating information on numbers of spatial domain (SD) basis respectively for multiple transmission and reception points (TRPs) a value combination for the terminal device, and the plurality of value combinations comprise at least a value combination with different values. At 320, the terminal device 110 transmits a channel state information report generated based on the obtained value combination to a network device 120.

In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive, from the network device, a basic value configuration indicative of information on a basic number of SD basis, and the plurality of value combinations may be obtained based on the basic value configuration.

In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive, from the network device, a basic value configuration indicative of information on a basic number of SD basis, and the obtained value combination for the terminal device may be based on the basic value configuration.

In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive from a network device, an indication indicative of whether the value combination for the terminal device comprises a common value for each TRP or different values for at least two TRPs.

In some example embodiments, the obtained value combination for the terminal device may be based on the indication and the basic value configuration.

In some example embodiments, the basic value configuration may directly indicate the basic number of SD basis for the multiple TRPs.

In some example embodiments, the basic value configuration may indicate a ratio value which is used to determine the basic number of SD basis for the multiple TRPs.

In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive, from a network device, an indicator of the value combination for the terminal device, and the obtained value combination for the terminal device is based on the indicator.

In some example embodiments, each one of the plurality of value combinations may be associated with a respective indicator.

In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may transmit an indication on the obtained value combination to the network device 120.

In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may transmit an indication of a plurality of SD basis selected based on the obtained value combination to the network device.

In some example embodiments, a value combination with a plurality of values may comprise a value of SD basis selection for one TRP not smaller than a value of SD basis selection for other TRPs which have a common value.

In some example embodiments, the plurality of value combinations may be configured by the network device.

In some example embodiments, the plurality of value combinations may be predefined.

All operations and features as described above with reference to FIG. 2 are likewise applicable to the method 300 and have similar effects. For the purpose of simplification, the details will be omitted.

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of an example method 400 implemented at a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the method 400 will be described from the perspective of the network device 120 with reference to FIG. 1. It would be appreciated that although the method 400 has been described from the perspective of the network device 120, the method 400 may be performed by any other network device.

At 410, the network device 120 transmits a value combination indication to a terminal device, and the value combination indication indicates information for the terminal device to obtain, from a plurality of value combinations each indicating information on numbers of spatial domain, SD, basis respectively for multiple transmission and reception points (TRPs) a value combination for the terminal device, and the plurality of value combinations comprise at least a value combination with different values. At 420, the network device 120 receives a channel state information report generated based on the obtained value combination from the terminal device.

In some example embodiments, the plurality of value combinations may be obtained based on the basic value configuration indicative of information on a basic number of SD basis.

In some example embodiments, the obtained value combination for the terminal device may be based on the basic value configuration indicative of information on a basic number of SD basis.

In some example embodiments, the value combination indication may comprise an indication indicative of whether the value combination for the terminal device comprises a common value for each TRP or different values for at least two TRPs.

In some example embodiments, the value combination indication may comprise an indicator of the value combination for the terminal device.

In some example embodiments, the network device 120 may receive an indication on the obtained value combination from the terminal device.

In some example embodiments, the network device 120 may receive an indication of a plurality of SD basis selected based on the obtained value combination from the terminal device.

All operations and features as described above with reference to FIG. 2 are likewise applicable to the method 400 and have similar effects. For the purpose of simplification, the details will be omitted.

In some example embodiments, a terminal device may comprise at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to performing any of operations of the method 300.

In some example embodiments, a terminal device may comprise at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to performing any of operations of the method 400.

In some example embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing any of operations of the method 300 (for example, the terminal device 110) may include means for performing the respective steps of the method 300. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus may include means for obtaining, from a plurality of value combinations each indicating information on numbers of spatial domain (SD) basis respectively for multiple transmission and reception points (TRPs) a value combination for the terminal device, where the plurality of value combinations comprise at least a value combination with different values; and means for transmitting a channel state information report generated based on the obtained value combination to a network device.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus may include means for receiving, from the network device, a basic value configuration indicative of information on a basic number of SD basis. The plurality of value combinations may be obtained based on the basic value configuration.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus may include means for receiving, from the network device, a basic value configuration indicative of information on a basic number of SD basis. The obtained value combination for the terminal device may be based on the basic value configuration.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus may include means for receiving, from a network device, an indication indicative of whether the value combination for the terminal device may comprise a common value for each TRP or different values for at least two TRPs.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus may include means for receiving, from a network device, an indicator of the value combination for the terminal device. The obtained value combination for the terminal device may be based on the indicator.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus may include means for transmitting an indication on the obtained value combination to the network device.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus may include means for transmitting an indication of a plurality of SD basis selected based on the obtained value combination to the network device.

In this way, for different values of N_TRP, the design mechanism for the set of N_L value combinations is similar, and thus it is possible to reduce the feedback consumption of the UE. Besides, each value of L_n is not connected with a specific CSI-RS resource or TRP, and thus it is possible to improve the overall CSI accuracy across multiple TRPs.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for performing other steps in some embodiments of the method 300. In some embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the performance of the apparatus.

In some example embodiments, an apparatus implemented at a terminal device is provided. The apparatus may include means for obtaining, from a plurality of value combinations each indicating information on numbers of spatial domain (SD) basis respectively for multiple transmission and reception points (TRPs) a value combination for the terminal device, where the plurality of value combinations comprise at least a value combination with different values. The apparatus may further include means for transmitting a channel state information report generated based on the obtained value combination to a network device. It is to be noted that this apparatus could be used separately from or in combination with the solutions described with reference to FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a simplified block diagram of a device 500 that is suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 500 may be provided to implement the communication device, for example the terminal device 110 or the network device 120 as shown in FIG. 1. As shown, the device 500 includes one or more processors 510, one or more memories 520 may be coupled to the processor 510, and one or more transmitters and/or receivers (TX/RX) 540 may be coupled to the processor 510.

The TX/RX 540 is for bidirectional communications. The TX/RX 540 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface that is necessary for communication with other network elements. The communication interface may be hardware or software based interface. For example, the communication interface may be one or more transceivers. The one or more transceivers may be coupled to one or more antennas or antenna ports to wirelessly transmit and/or receive communication signals. The antennas or antenna ports may be the same or different types. The antennas or antenna ports may be located in different positions of an apparatus. The one or more transceivers allow the apparatus to communicate with other devices that may be wired and/or wireless. The transceiver may support one or more radio technologies. For example, the one or more transceivers may include a cellular subsystem, a WLAN subsystem, and/or a Bluetooth^TM subsystem. The one or more transceivers may include processors, controllers, radios, sockets, plugs, buffers, or the like circuits to form one or more communication channels to one or more radio frequency units.

The processor 510 may be of any type suitable to the local technical network and may include one or more of the following: general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs) and processors based on multicore processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. The device 500 may have multiple processors, such as an application specific integrated circuit chip that is slaved in time to a clock which synchronizes the main processor.

The memory 520 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of the non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, a read only memory (ROM) 524, an electrically programmable read only memory (EPROM) , a flash memory, a hard disk, a compact disc (CD) , a digital video disk (DVD) , and other magnetic storage and/or optical storage. Examples of the volatile memories include, but are not limited to, a random access memory (RAM) 522 and other volatile memories that will not last in the power-down duration.

A computer program 530 includes computer executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 510. The program 530 may be stored in the ROM 524. The processor 510 may perform any suitable actions and processing by loading the program 530 into the RAM 522.

The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by means of the program so that the device 500 may perform any process of the disclosure as discussed with reference to FIG. 2. The embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

In some example embodiments, the program 530 may be tangibly contained in a computer readable medium which may be included in the device 500 (such as in the memory 520) or other storage devices that are accessible by the device 500. The device 500 may load the program 530 from the computer readable medium to the RAM 522 for execution. The computer readable medium may include any types of tangible non-volatile storage, such as ROM, EPROM, a flash memory, a hard disk, CD, DVD, and the like.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the computer readable medium 600 in form of CD or DVD. The computer readable medium has the program 630 stored thereon.

Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. While various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other pictorial representations, it is to be understood that the block, apparatus, system, technique or method described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, being executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor, to carry out the method 300 or 400 as described above with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, or the like that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or split between program modules as desired in various embodiments. Machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

Program code for carrying out methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the program codes, when executed by the processor or controller, cause the functions/operations specified in the flowcharts and/or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may execute entirely on a machine, partly on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine or entirely on the remote machine or server.

In the context of the present disclosure, the computer program codes or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable the device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of the carrier include a signal, computer readable medium, and the like.

The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable medium may include but not limited to an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the computer readable storage medium would include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM) , a read-only memory (ROM) , an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory) , an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) , an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. The term “non-transitory, ” as used herein, is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal) as opposed to a limitation on data storage persistency (e.g., RAM vs. ROM) .

Further, while operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Likewise, while several specific implementation details are contained in the above discussions, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable sub-combination.

Although the present disclosure has been described in languages specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

A terminal device, comprising:

one or more transceivers; and

one or more processors coupled to the one or more transceivers, wherein the one or more transceivers are configured with the one or more processors to cause the terminal device to:

obtain, from a plurality of value combinations each indicating information on numbers of spatial domain, SD, basis respectively for multiple transmission and reception points, TRPs, a value combination for the terminal device, wherein the plurality of value combinations comprise at least a value combination with different values; and

transmit a channel state information report generated based on the obtained value combination to a network device.
The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the terminal device is caused to receive, from the network device, a basic value configuration indicative of information on a basic number of SD basis,

wherein the plurality of value combinations are obtained based on the basic value configuration.
The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the terminal device is caused to receive, from the network device, a basic value configuration indicative of information on a basic number of SD basis,

wherein the obtained value combination for the terminal device is based on the basic value configuration.
The terminal device of claim 2 or 3, wherein the terminal device is caused to:

receive, from a network device, an indication indicative of whether the value combination for the terminal device comprises a common value for each TRP or different values for at least two TRPs.
The terminal device of claim 4, wherein the obtained value combination for the terminal device is based on the indication and the basic value configuration.
The terminal device of any of claims 2 to 5, wherein the basic value configuration directly indicates the basic number of SD basis for the multiple TRPs.
The terminal device of any of claims 2 to 5, wherein the basic value configuration indicates a ratio value which is used to determine the basic number of SD basis for the multiple TRPs.
The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the terminal device is caused to receive, from a network device, an indicator of the value combination for the terminal device,

wherein the obtained value combination for the terminal device is based on the indicator.
The terminal device of claim 8, wherein each one of the plurality of value combinations is associated with a respective indicator.
The terminal device of any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the terminal device is further caused to:

transmit an indication on the obtained value combination to the network device.
The terminal device of any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the terminal device is further caused to:

transmit an indication of a plurality of SD basis selected based on the obtained value combination to the network device.
The terminal device of any of claims 1 to 11, wherein a value combination with a plurality of values comprises a value of SD basis selection for one TRP not smaller than a value of SD basis selection for other TRPs which have a common value.
The terminal device of any of claims 1 to 12, wherein the plurality of value combinations are configured by the network device.
The terminal device of any of claims 1 to 12, wherein the plurality of value combinations are predefined.
A network device, comprising:

one or more transceivers; and

one or more processors coupled to the one or more transceivers, wherein the one or more transceivers are configured with the one or more processors to cause the network device to:

transmit a value combination indication to a terminal device, wherein the value combination indication indicates information for the terminal device to obtain, from a plurality of value combinations each indicating information on numbers of spatial domain, SD, basis respectively for multiple transmission and reception points, TRPs, a value combination for the terminal device, wherein the plurality of value combinations comprise at least a value combination with different values; and

receive a channel state information report generated based on the obtained value combination from the terminal device.
The network device of claim 15, wherein the plurality of value combinations are obtained based on the basic value configuration indicative of information on a basic number of SD basis.
The network device of claim 15, wherein the obtained value combination for the terminal device is based on the basic value configuration indicative of information on a basic number of SD basis.
The network device of claim 16 or 17, wherein the value combination indication comprises an indication indicative of whether the value combination for the terminal device comprises a common value for each TRP or different values for at least two TRPs.
The network device of claim 18, wherein the basic value configuration directly indicates the basic number of SD basis for the multiple TRPs.
The network device of any of claims 16 to 18, wherein the basic value configuration indicates a ratio value which is used to determine the basic number of SD basis for the multiple TRPs.
The network device of claim 15, wherein the value combination indication comprises an indicator of the value combination for the terminal device.
The network device of claim 21, wherein each one of the plurality of value combinations is associated with a respective indicator.
The network device of any of claims 15 to 22, wherein the network device is further caused to:

receive an indication on the obtained value combination from the terminal device.
The network device of any of claims 15 to 22, wherein the network device is further caused to:

receive an indication of a plurality of SD basis selected based on the obtained value combination from the terminal device.
The network device of any of claims 15 to 24, wherein a value combination with a plurality of values comprises a value of SD basis selection for one TRP not smaller than a value of SD basis selection for other TRPs which have a common value.
The network device of any of claims 15 to 25, wherein the plurality of value combinations are configured by the network device.
The network device of any of claims 15 to 25, wherein the plurality of value combinations are predefined.
A method at a terminal device, comprising:

obtaining, from a plurality of value combinations each indicating information on numbers of spatial domain, SD, basis respectively for multiple transmission and reception points, TRPs, a value combination for the terminal device, wherein the plurality of value combinations comprise at least a value combination with different values; and

transmitting a channel state information report generated based on the obtained value combination to a network device.
A method at a network device, comprising:

transmitting a value combination indication to a terminal device, wherein the value combination indication indicates information for the terminal device to obtain, from a plurality of value combinations each indicating information on numbers of spatial domain, SD, basis respectively for multiple transmission and reception points, TRPs, a value combination for the terminal device, wherein the plurality of value combinations comprise at least a value combination with different values; and

receiving a channel state information report generated based on the obtained value combination from the terminal device.
An apparatus of a terminal device, comprising:

means for obtaining, from a plurality of value combinations each indicating information on numbers of spatial domain, SD, basis respectively for multiple transmission and reception points, TRPs, a value combination for the terminal device, wherein the plurality of value combinations comprise at least a value combination with different values; and

means for transmitting a channel state information report generated based on the obtained value combination to a network device.
An apparatus of a network device, comprising:

means for transmitting a value combination indication to a terminal device, wherein the value combination indication indicates information for the terminal device to obtain, from a plurality of value combinations each indicating information on numbers of spatial domain, SD, basis respectively for multiple transmission and reception points, TRPs, a value combination for the terminal device, wherein the plurality of value combinations comprise at least a value combination with different values; and

means for receiving a channel state information report generated based on the obtained value combination from the terminal device.
A terminal device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program codes, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program codes are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to:

obtain, from a plurality of value combinations each indicating information on numbers of spatial domain, SD, basis respectively for multiple transmission and reception points, TRPs, a value combination for the terminal device, wherein the plurality of value combinations comprise at least a value combination with different values; and

transmit a channel state information report generated based on the obtained value combination to a network device.
A network device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program codes, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program codes are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the network device to:

transmit a value combination indication to a terminal device, wherein the value combination indication indicates information for the terminal device to obtain, from a plurality of value combinations each indicating information on numbers of spatial domain, SD, basis respectively for multiple transmission and reception points, TRPs, a value combination for the terminal device, wherein the plurality of value combinations comprises at least a value combination with different values; and

receive a channel state information report generated based on the obtained value combination from the terminal device.
A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method of claim 28 or 29.