Beam selection for uplink and downlink based mobility
Aspects of the present disclosure provide methods and apparatus for beam selection in uplink-based and downlink-based mobility scenarios, for example, for new radio (NR) systems which can improve handover reliability, reduce handover frequency, and improve power efficiency. Certain aspects provide a method for wireless communications by a user equipment (UE). The method generally includes transmitting an uplink reference signal with an indication of a preferred downlink beam and receiving a downlink transmission based, at least in part, on the uplink reference signal.
1. A method for wireless communication by a user equipment (UE), comprising:
transmitting a random access channel (RACH) message containing an index indicating a plurality of preferred downlink beams; and
receiving a random access response (RAR) message using one of the plurality of preferred downlink beams.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving one or more measurement reference signals transmitted using different beams; and
selecting the plurality of preferred downlink beams based on the one or more measurement reference signals.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein receiving the one or more measurement reference signals comprises receiving the one or more measurement reference signals from a plurality of cells.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of preferred downlink beams indicates one or more selected transmission points associated with the plurality of preferred downlink beams.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the RACH message includes a RACH preamble and a radio resource control (RRC) connection request.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the RAR message includes a timing advance (TA), uplink grant, and radio resource control (RRC) connection complete indication.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the RACH message is sent during initial access.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the RACH message includes a UE identification (UE ID).
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the RACH message is sent after initial access while the UE is in a connected state.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the RACH message does not include an identification (ID) of the UE.
11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving a handover command based on the RACH message.
12. A method for wireless communication by a base station (BS), comprising:
receiving a random access channel (RACH) message from a user equipment (UE) containing an index indicating a plurality of preferred downlink beams; and
transmitting a random access response (RAR) message to the UE using one of the plurality of preferred downlink beams.
13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising transmitting one or more measurement reference signals to the UE using different beams, wherein the plurality of preferred downlink beams comprises one or more of the different beams.
14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of preferred downlink beams indicates one or more selected transmission points associated with the plurality of preferred downlink beams.
15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the RACH message includes a RACH preamble and a radio resource control (RRC) connection request.
16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the RAR message includes a timing advance (TA), uplink grant, and radio resource control (RRC) connection complete indication.
17. The method of claim 12 , wherein the RACH message is received during initial access.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the RACH message includes a UE identification (UE ID).
19. The method of claim 12 , wherein the RACH message is received after initial access while the UE is in a connected state.
20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the RACH message does not include an identification (ID) of the UE.
21. The method of claim 12 , further comprising transmitting a handover command to the UE based on the RACH message.
22. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:
a memory; and
at least one processor coupled with the memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
transmit a random access channel (RACH) message containing an index indicating a plurality of preferred downlink beams; and
receive a random access response (RAR) message using one of the plurality of preferred downlink beams.
23. The apparatus of claim 22 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
receive one or more measurement reference signals transmitted using different beams; and
select the plurality of preferred downlink beams based on the one or more measurement reference signals.
24. The apparatus of claim 23 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive the one or more measurement reference signals from a plurality of cells.
25. The apparatus of claim 24 , wherein the plurality of preferred downlink beams indicates one or more selected transmission points associated with the plurality of preferred downlink beams.
26. The apparatus of claim 22 , wherein the RACH message includes a RACH preamble and a radio resource control (RRC) connection request.
27. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:
a memory; and
at least one processor coupled with the memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
receive a random access channel (RACH) message from a user equipment (UE) containing an index indicating a plurality of preferred downlink beams; and
transmit a random access response (RAR) message to the UE using one of the plurality of preferred downlink beams.
28. The apparatus of claim 22 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to transmit one or more measurement reference signals to the UE using different beams, wherein the plurality of preferred downlink beams comprises one or more of the different beams.
29. The apparatus of claim 27 , wherein the RAR message includes a timing advance (TA), uplink grant, and radio resource control (RRC) connection complete indication.
30. The apparatus of claim 27 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to transmit a handover command to the UE based on the RACH message.