Unified TCI framework

1 . A processor of a user equipment (UE) configured to perform operations comprising:

receiving a beam switch time parameter from the network;

receiving a command for a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state change for a joint TCI state including uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) signals, wherein the command is transmitted via downlink control information (DCI);

decoding the joint TCI state command and performing measurements necessary to receive and transmit with a target TCI state, the measurements including a pathloss (PL) measurement for an UL channel

switching to receive the DL signals and transmit the UL signals with the target TCI state within a time duration for a switching delay, wherein the time duration is based on at least the beam switch time parameter; and

switching from a first PL reference signal (PL-RS) to a target PL-RS, wherein the switching from the first PL-RS to the target PL-RS is completed at a same time as the switching to receive the DL signals and transmit the UL signals with the target TCI state.

2 . The processor of claim 1 , wherein the time duration is further based on a time for receive (Rx) beam refinement when the Rx beam of the target TCI state is unknown.

3 . The processor of claim 1 , wherein the time duration is further based on a time for time and frequency offset tracking for DL signals of the target TCI state when the target TCI state is not tracked by the UE.

4 . The processor of claim 1 , wherein the time duration is further based on a time for performing the PL measurement when spatial relation information and an associated PL reference signal (PL-RS) for the UL channel changes for the target TCI state relative to the current TCI state.

5 . The processor of claim 4 , wherein the PL measurement is performed using layer 3 filtered reference signal received power (RSRP).

6 . The processor of claim 1 , wherein the time duration does not include a time for performing the PL measurement.

7 . The processor of claim 1 , wherein a source reference signal (RS) for the target TCI state is a synchronization signal block (SSB) or channel state information (CSI) RS.

8 . A user equipment (UE), comprising:

a transceiver configured to communicate with a network; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform operations comprising:

receiving a beam switch time parameter from the network;

receiving a command for a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state change for a joint TCI state including uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) signals, wherein the command is transmitted via downlink control information (DCI);

decoding the joint TCI state command and performing measurements necessary to receive and transmit with a target TCI state, the measurements including a pathloss (PL) measurement for an UL channel;

switching to receive the DL signals and transmit the UL signals with the target TCI state within a time duration for a switching delay, wherein the time duration is based on at least the beam switch time parameter; and

switching from a first PL reference signal (PL-RS) to a target PL-RS, wherein the switching from the first PL-RS to the target PL-RS is completed at a same time as the switching to receive the DL signals and transmit the UL signals with the target TCI state.

9 . A processor of a user equipment (UE) configured to perform operations comprising:

receiving a beam switch time parameter from the network;

receiving a command for a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state change for a separate uplink (UL) TCI state including UL signals and not including downlink (DL) signals, wherein the command is transmitted via downlink control information (DCI);

decoding the separate UL TCI state command and performing measurements necessary to receive and transmit with a target TCI state, the measurements including a pathloss (PL) measurement for an UL channel;

switching to transmit the UL signals with the target TCI state within a time duration for a switching delay, wherein the time duration is based on at least the beam switch time parameter; and

switching from a first PL reference signal (PL-RS) to a target PL-RS, wherein the switching from the first PL-RS to the target PL-RS is completed at a same time as the switching to receive the DL signals and transmit the UL signals with the target TCI state.

10 . The processor of claim 9 , wherein the time duration is further based on a time for receive (Rx) beam refinement when the Rx beam of the target TCI state is unknown and a source reference signal (RS) for the target TCI state is a DL RS.

11 . The processor of claim 9 , wherein the time duration does not include a time for receive beam refinement when the Tx beam of the target TCI state is unknown and a source reference signal (RS) for the target TCI state is a UL RS, wherein the UE uses a best known beam without additional Txbeam refinement.

12 . The processor of claim 9 , wherein the time duration is further based on a time for performing the PL measurement when spatial relation information and an associated PL reference signal (PL-RS) for the UL channel changes for the target TCI state relative to the current TCI state.

13 . The processor of claim 12 , wherein the PL measurement is performed using layer 3 filtered reference signal received power (RSRP).

14 . The processor of claim 9 , wherein the time duration does not include a time for performing the PL measurement.

15 . The processor of claim 9 , wherein a source reference signal (RS) for the target TCI state is a synchronization signal block (SSB), a channel state information (CSI) RS or a sounding reference signal (SRS).