Apparatus and method for beam reporting, beam indication and scheduling of data transmission during beam management

1. An apparatus for User Equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising one or more processors configured to:

report a transmit (Tx) beam matrix to an access node that is configured to generate a plurality of Tx beams, wherein the Tx beam matrix comprises two or more groups of Tx beam candidates that are determined based on beam measurement at the UE; and

decode an indication received from the access node to determine at least one group of Tx beams selected from the two or more groups of Tx beam candidates to be used by the access node to communicate with the UE.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the Tx beam candidates are sorted in a descending or ascending order of a metric of the beam measurement so that a first row or a last row of the Tx beam matrix comprises best Tx beams observed by each antenna panel of the UE.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the indication comprises a one-bit flag for indicating whether a combination of the best Tx beams in the first row or the last row of the Tx beam matrix are to be used by the access node or not.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine the combination of the best Tx beams as the at least one group of selected Tx beams, when the one-bit flag indicates that the combination of the best Tx beams are to be used by the access node.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the Tx beam matrix comprises a subset having a predefined size and construction known to both the access node and the UE, and the indication comprises a group index indicating the at least one group of selected Tx beams among a number of groups of Tx beam candidates reconstructed by the access node from the subset based on a predefined reconstruction rule.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each row of the Tx beam matrix comprises Tx beam candidates corresponding to a respective receive (Rx) beam set of one or more Rx beam sets specified by the UE.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the indication comprises a row index indicating a respective row of Tx beam candidates among the Tx beam matrix as the at least one group of selected Tx beams.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the Tx beam matrix comprises a subset including a predefined number of rows of the Tx beam matrix, and the indication comprises a row index indicating a respective row of Tx beam candidates among the subset as the at least one group of selected Tx beams.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the indication comprises a one-bit flag for indicating whether the access node is to indicate the at least one group of selected Tx beams based on a respective Rx beam set or not; and the indication comprises a row index indicating a respective row of Tx beam candidates among the Tx beam matrix as the at least one group of selected Tx beams, when the one-bit flag indicates that the access node is to indicate the at least one group of selected Tx beams based on the respective Rx beam set.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein for each of the Tx beam candidates, at least one of a Tx beam index or beam pair link index, a group index, or a metric of the beam measurement corresponding to the Tx beam candidate are reported to the access node.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein for all Tx beam candidates within a group, a group index is reported once to the access node, and at least one of a Tx beam index or beam pair link index, or a metric of the beam measurement corresponding to each Tx beam candidate are reported to the access node.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to report the Tx beam matrix and decode the indication in response to an enabling signal configured through higher layer signaling or Downlink Control Information (DCI).

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the indication comprises a group index indicating the at least one group of selected Tx beams from among the two or more groups of Tx beam candidates.

14. An apparatus for an access node, the apparatus comprising one or more processors configured to:

decode a transmit (Tx) beam matrix reported by a user equipment (UE) configured to receive Tx beams from the access node, wherein the Tx beam matrix comprises two or more groups of Tx beam candidates that are determined based on beam measurement at the UE; and

transmit an indication to the UE to indicate at least one group of Tx beams selected from the two or more groups of Tx beam candidates to be used by the access node to communicate with the UE.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the Tx beam candidates are sorted in a descending or ascending order of a metric of the beam measurement so that a first row or a last row of the Tx beam matrix comprises best Tx beams observed by each antenna panel of the UE.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the indication comprises a one-bit flag for indicating whether a combination of the best Tx beams in the first row or the last row of the Tx beam matrix are to be used by the access node or not.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

indicate the combination of the best Tx beams as the at least one group of selected Tx beams, when the one-bit flag indicates that the combination of the best Tx beams are to be used by the access node.

18. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the Tx beam matrix comprises a subset having a predefined size and construction known to both the access node and the UE, and the indication comprises a group index indicating the at least one group of selected Tx beams among a number of groups of Tx beam candidates reconstructed by the access node from the subset based on a predefined reconstruction rule.

19. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein each row of the Tx beam matrix comprises Tx beam candidates corresponding to a respective receiving (Rx) beam set of one or more Rx beam sets specified by the UE.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the indication comprises a row index indicating a respective row of Tx beam candidates among the Tx beam matrix as the at least one group of selected Tx beams.

21. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the Tx beam matrix comprises a subset including a predefined number of rows of the Tx beam matrix, and the indication comprises a row index indicating a respective row of Tx beam candidates among the subset as the at least one group of selected Tx beams.

22. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the indication comprises a one-bit flag for indicating whether the access node is to indicate the at least one group of selected Tx beams based on a respective Rx beam set or not; and the indication comprises a row index indicating a respective row of Tx beam candidates among the Tx beam matrix as the at least one group of selected Tx beams, when the one-bit flag indicates that the access node is to indicate the at least one group of selected Tx beams based on the respective Rx beam set.