Uplink-based user equipment tracking for connected inactive state

A transmit-receive point (TRP) comprising:

• a memory storage comprising instructions;
• and
• one or more processors in communication with the memory storage, wherein the one or more processors execute the instructions to:
• transmit, to a first user equipment (UE), parameters that include a first UE identifier (ID) associated with the first UE and allow the first UE to uniquely determine a first UE-specific tracking sequence and first assigned time-frequency (TF) resource, the first UE-specific tracking sequence and first assigned TF resource being determined based on the first UE ID and independent of a transmit-receive point identifier (TRP ID) associated with the TRP;
• receive, from the first UE, a tracking signal comprising the first UE-specific tracking sequence in accordance with the first assigned TF resource;
• and
• transmit, to a second UE, parameters that include a second UE ID associated with the second UE and allow the second UE to uniquely determine a second UE-specific tracking sequence and second assigned TF resource, the second UE-specific tracking sequence and second assigned TF resource being determined based on the second UE ID and independent of the TRP ID associated with the TRP, wherein the two UEs are in a hyper cell and the two UE-specific tracking sequences are non-orthogonal.

A method comprising:

• receiving, at a user equipment (UE) from a transmit-receive point (TRP) in a communication network, parameters that include a first UE identifier (ID) associated with the UE and for allowing the UE to uniquely determine a UE-specific tracking sequence and assigned time-frequency (TF) resource;
• determining, at the UE, the UE-specific tracking sequence and assigned TF resource based on the UE ID, the UE-specific tracking sequence and assigned TF resource are independent of a transmit-receive point identifier (TRP ID) associated with the TRP;
• transmitting, from the UE, a tracking signal comprising the UE-specific tracking sequence in accordance with the assigned TF resource;
• and
• identifying at least one uplink (UL) receive (Rx) antenna beam of the TRP based on:
• a known reciprocity of the TRP;
• and at least one downlink (DL) transmission (Tx) antenna beam of the TRP that the UE previously identified as being the Tx side of an optimal beam pair link (BPL) for DL reception;
• wherein transmitting the tracking signal from the UE comprises sequentially transmitting the tracking signal on each UL Tx antenna beam of the UE when the TRP is scheduled to listen on the at least one identified UL Rx antenna beam.

A user equipment (UE) comprising:

• a memory storage comprising instructions;
• and
• one or more processors in communication with the memory storage, wherein the one or more processors execute the instructions to:
• receive, from a transmit-receive point (TRP) in a communication network, parameters that include a UE identifier (ID) associated with the UE and for allowing the UE to uniquely determine a UE-specific tracking sequence and assigned time-frequency (TF) resource;
• determine, at the UE, the UE-specific tracking sequence and assigned TF resource based on the UE ID, the UE-specific tracking sequence and assigned TF resource are independent of a transmit-receive point identifier (TRP ID) associated with the TRP;
• transmit, from the UE, a tracking signal comprising the UE-specific tracking sequence in accordance with the assigned TF resource;
• and
• identify at least one uplink (UL) receive (Rx) antenna beam of the TRP based on:
• a known reciprocity of the TRP;
• and at least one downlink (DL) transmission (Tx) antenna beam of the TRP that the UE previously identified as being the Tx side of an optimal beam pair link (BPL) for DL reception;
• and
• sequentially transmit, from the UE, the tracking signal on each UL Tx antenna beam of the UE when the TRP is scheduled to listen on the at least one identified UL Rx antenna beam.