Method for beam distribution

1 . An apparatus, comprising:

one or more antenna panels, the one or more antenna panels comprising a plurality of antenna elements;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform:

receiving a reference signal burst comprising at least one of a plurality of synchronization signal blocks or channel state information reference signals on a downlink channel, wherein the reference signal burst is periodically received for a predetermined number of repetition times within a sample;

estimating, based on values of two or more consecutive repetitions of the reference signal burst, a dynamic state of the downlink channel;

distributing, at least partly based on the dynamic state of the downlink channel, repetitions of the channel state information reference signals across said one or more antenna panels; and

determining one or more settings of uplink and downlink channel configurations across said one or more antenna panels according to determined distribution of said repetitions of the channel state information reference signals to be used according to changes at least in the dynamic state of the downlink channel.

2 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to perform:

measuring received signal power level of said two or more consecutive repetitions of the reference signal burst using said one or more antenna panels in alternating manner; and

determining candidate antenna panels for a downlink channel reception, wherein said candidate antenna panels include an antenna panel with a best value of the received signal power level and zero or more further antenna panels having a value of the received signal power level within a first predetermined threshold from the best value of the received signal power level.

3 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the dynamic state of the downlink channel comprise at least the following: a directive channel, a semi-static channel, or a dynamic channel.

4 . The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform:

measuring a received signal power level of said two or more consecutive repetitions of the reference signal burst using one antenna panel; and

determining the dynamic state of the downlink channel based on whether values of the received signal power level of said two or more consecutive repetitions of the reference signal burst remain within a second predetermined threshold;

wherein at least one value exceeding said second threshold indicates a dynamic downlink channel and values remaining within said second threshold indicate at least one of the semi-static channel or the directive channel.

5 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the reference signal burst is a synchronization signal burst.

6 . The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to, in response to estimating that the downlink channel is in a semi-static state, distribute said repetitions of the channel state information reference signals across beams of at least one candidate antenna panel.

7 . The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to, in response to estimating that the downlink channel is in a directive state, distribute said repetitions of the channel state information reference signals across adjacent beams of a downlink serving beam.

8 . The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to, in response to estimating that the downlink channel is in a dynamic state, distribute said repetitions of the channel state information reference signals across beams of the candidate antenna panels.

9 . The apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform

adapting, in response to a number of said repetitions of the channel state information reference signals scheduled with a network being smaller than a number of beams available for downlink channel reception, beamwidth of the beams available for downlink channel reception such that a desired angle of arrival is scannable with the beams available for downlink channel reception.

10 . The apparatus according to claim 2 ,

wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform determining that an operating state of the apparatus requires savings in power consumption, wherein said determining of candidate antenna panels includes the antenna panel with the best value of the received signal power level.

11 . The apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform averaging, for the active antenna panels, a received signal power level of the synchronization signal blocks over a plurality of consecutive synchronization signal bursts.

12 . The apparatus according to claim 11 ,

wherein the instructions, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform determining whether to apply Layer 1 averaging.

13 . A method, comprising:

receiving, with a user equipment comprising one or more antenna panels, the one or more antenna panels comprising a plurality of antenna elements, a reference signal burst comprising at least one of a plurality of synchronization signal blocks or channel state information reference signals on a downlink channel, wherein the reference signal burst is periodically received for a predetermined number of repetition times within a sample;

estimating, based on values of two or more consecutive repetitions of the reference signal burst, a dynamic state of the downlink channel;

distributing, at least partly based on the dynamic state of the downlink channel, repetitions of the channel state information reference signals across said one or more antenna panels; and

determining one or more settings of uplink and downlink channel configurations across said one or more antenna panels according to determined distribution of said repetitions of the channel state information reference signals to be used according to changes at least in the dynamic state of the downlink channel.

14 . The method according to claim 13 , comprising

measuring received signal power level of said two or more consecutive repetitions of the reference signal burst using said one or more antenna panels in alternating manner; and

determining candidate antenna panels for a downlink channel reception, wherein said candidate antenna panels include an antenna panel with a best value of the received signal power level and zero or more further antenna panels having a value of the received signal power level within a first predetermined threshold from the best value of the received signal power level.

15 . The method according to claim 13 , wherein

the dynamic state of the downlink channel comprise at least the following: a directive channel, a semi-static channel, or a dynamic channel.

16 . The method according to claim 15 , wherein said estimating the dynamic state of the downlink channel comprises

measuring a received signal power level of said two or more consecutive repetitions of the reference signal burst using one antenna panel; and

determining the dynamic state of the downlink channel based on whether values of the received signal power level of said two or more consecutive repetitions of the reference signal burst remain within a second predetermined threshold;

wherein at least one value exceeding said second threshold indicates a dynamic downlink channel and values remaining within said second threshold indicate at least one of the semi-static channel or the directive channel.

17 . The method according to claim 13 , wherein the reference signal burst is a synchronization signal burst.

18 . The method according to claim 15 , wherein the method comprises, in response to estimating that the downlink channel is in a semi-static state, distributing said repetitions of the channel state information reference signals across beams of at least one candidate antenna panel.

19 . The method according to claim 15 , wherein the method comprises, in response to estimating that the downlink channel is in a directive state, distributing said repetitions of the channel state information reference signals across adjacent beams of a downlink serving beam.

20 . The method according to claim 15 , wherein the method comprises, in response to estimating that the downlink channel is in a dynamic state, distributing said repetitions of the channel state information reference signals across beams of the candidate antenna panels.

21 . The method according to claim 13 , comprising

adapting, in response to a number of said repetitions of the channel state information reference signals scheduled with a network being smaller than a number of beams available for downlink channel reception, beamwidth of the beams available for downlink channel reception such that a desired angle of arrival is scannable with the beams available for downlink channel reception.

22 . The method according to claim 14 , comprising

determining that an operating state of the apparatus requires savings in power consumption, wherein said determining of candidate antenna panels includes the antenna panel with the best value of the received signal power level.

23 . The method according to claim 13 , comprising

averaging, for the active antenna panels, a received signal power level of the synchronization signal blocks over a plurality of consecutive synchronization signal bursts.

24 . The method according to claim 23 , comprising

determining whether to apply Layer 1 averaging.

25 . A non-transitory program storage device readable with an apparatus, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable with the apparatus for performing:

receiving, with one or more antenna panels of said apparatus, the one or more antenna panels comprising a plurality of antenna elements, a reference signal burst comprising a plurality of synchronization signal blocks or channel state information reference signals on a downlink channel, wherein the reference signal burst is periodically received for a predetermined number of repetition times within a sample;

estimating, based on values of two or more consecutive repetitions of the reference signal burst, a dynamic state of the downlink channel;

distributing, at least partly based on the dynamic state of the downlink channel, repetitions of the channel state information reference signals across said one or more antenna panels; and

determining one or more settings of uplink and downlink channel configurations across said one or more antenna panels according to determined distribution of said repetitions of the channel state information reference signals to be used according to changes at least in the dynamic state of the downlink channel.