Technologies for beam configuration and indication for lower layer-enabled mobility

Description

1 / 49 TECHNOLOGIES FOR BEAM CONFIGURATION AND INDICATION FOR LOWER LAYER-ENABLED MOBILITY RELATED ORDERS

[001] This application claims the benefit of non-provisional patent application U.S. No. 18 / 595,264, filed March 4, 2024, which claims priority from provisional patent application U.S. No. 63 / 458,041, filed April 7, 2023, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[002] This application relates generally to wireless communication networks and, in particular, to beam configuration and indication technologies for lower-layer triggered mobility (LTM) in such networks. BACKGROUND

[003] The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Technical Specifications (TSs) provide details of the radio interface protocols to facilitate communication over wireless networks. These TSs define how and when user equipment (UE) can transition from a source cell to a destination cell to improve coverage. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[004] Figure 1 illustrates a network environment according to some modalities.

[005] Figure 2 illustrates a server cell configuration according to some modalities.

[006] Figure 3 illustrates cell configurations according to some modalities.

[007] Figure 4 illustrates cell and common pool configurations according to some modalities. Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 11 / 104 2 / 49

[008] Figure 5 illustrates a signaling procedure according to some modalities.

[009] Figure 6 illustrates another signaling procedure according to some modalities.

[0010] Figure 7 illustrates a media access control (MAC) control element (CE) according to some modalities.

[0011] Figure 8 illustrates another MAC CE according to some modalities.

[0012] Figure 9 illustrates MAC CEs according to some modalities.

[0013] Figure 10 illustrates downlink control information (DCI) of physical downlink control channel order (PDCCH) according to some modes.

[0014] Figure 11 illustrates a network environment according to some modalities.

[0015] Figure 12 illustrates a signaling diagram according to some modalities.

[0016] Figure 13 illustrates another signaling diagram according to some modalities.

[0017] Figure 14 illustrates an algorithmic operation / structure flow according to some modalities.

[0018] Figure 15 illustrates another algorithmic operation / structure flow according to some modalities.

[0019] Figure 16 illustrates a user's equipment according to some modalities.

[0020] Figure 17 illustrates a network node according to some modalities. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 12 / 104 3 / 49

[0021] The following detailed description refers to the attached drawings. The same reference numbers may be used in different drawings to identify identical or similar elements. In the following description, for purposes of explanation and not limitation, specific details such as structures, architectures, interfaces and / or specific techniques are presented in order to provide a complete understanding of the various aspects of some embodiments. However, it will be evident to those skilled in the art who have the benefit of the present invention that the various aspects of the various aspects can be practiced in other embodiments that depart from these specific details. In certain cases, descriptions of well-known devices, circuits and methods are omitted so as not to obscure the description of the various aspects with unnecessary details.For the purposes of this document, the phrase A or B means (A), (B) or (A and B); and the phrase based on A means based, at least in part, on A, for example, it could be based only on A or it could be based, in part, on A.

[0022] A glossary of terms used in this invention is presented below.

[0023] The term circuit assembly as used herein refers to, is part of, or includes hardware components such as an electronic circuit, a logic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) or memory (shared, dedicated, or group), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable device (FPD) (e.g., a field-programmable gate array (FPGA)), a programmable logic device (PLD), a complex PLD (CPLD), a high-capacity PLD (HCPLD), a structured ASIC, or a system. Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 13 / 104 4 / 49 on a programmable system-on-a-chip (SoC), and / or digital signal processors (DSPs), which are configured to provide the described functionality. In some respects, the circuit assembly may execute one or more software or firmware programs to provide at least part of the described functionality. The term circuit assembly may also refer to a combination of one or more hardware elements (or a combination of circuits used in an electrical or electronic system) with the program code used to execute the functionality of that program code. In these respects, the combination of hardware elements and program code may be called a specific type of circuit assembly.

[0024] The term processor circuitry, as used herein, refers to, is part of, or includes a set of circuits capable of sequentially and automatically executing a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations; or recording, storing, or transferring digital data. The term processor circuitry may refer to an application processor; a baseband processor; a central processing unit (CPU); a graphics processing unit; a single-core processor; a dual-core processor; a triple-core processor; a quad-core processor; or any other device capable of executing or otherwise operating on computer executable instructions, such as program code; software modules; or functional processes.

[0025] The term interface circuitry, as used herein, refers to, is part of, or includes a set of circuits that enables the exchange of information between two or more components or devices. The term interface circuitry may refer to one or more hardware interfaces; for example, buses, inter Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 14 / 104 5 / 49 I / O faces, peripheral component interfaces, network interface cards or similar.

[0026] The term user equipment or UE, as used herein, refers to a device with radio communication capabilities and may describe a remote user of network resources on a communication network. The terms user equipment and UE may be considered synonymous and may be referred to as client, mobile, mobile device, mobile terminal, user terminal, mobile unit, mobile station, mobile user, subscriber, user, remote station, access agent, user agent, receiver, radio equipment, reconfigurable radio equipment, reconfigurable mobile device, etc. In addition, the term user equipment or UE may include any type of wireless / wired device or any computing device including a wireless communication interface.

[0027] The term computer system, as used herein, refers to any type of interconnected electronic devices, computer devices, or components thereof. Additionally, the term computer system or system may refer to multiple computer components that are communicatively coupled to one another. Furthermore, the term computer system or system may refer to multiple computer devices or multiple computing systems that are communicatively coupled to one another and configured to share computing or network communication resources.

[0028] The term resource, as used herein, refers to a physical or virtual device, a physical or virtual component within a computing environment, or a physical or virtual component on a specific device, such as computer devices, mechanical devices, memory space, processor / CPU time, usage of Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 15 / 104 6 / 49 processor / CPU, processor and accelerator loads, hardware time or usage, electrical power, input / output operations, network ports or sockets, channel / link allocation, processing capacity, memory usage, storage, network, database and applications, workload units, or similar. A hardware resource may refer to computer, storage, or network resources provided by physical hardware element(s). A virtualized resource may refer to computer, storage, or network resources provided by the virtualization infrastructure to an application, device, system, etc. The term network resource or communication resource may refer to resources that are accessible by computer devices / systems through a communication network. The term system resources may refer to any type of shared entities to provide services, and may include computing or network resources.System resources can be considered as a set of coherent functions, objects, or network data services, accessible through a server, where such system resources reside on a single or multiple hosts and are clearly identifiable.

[0029] The terms multi, multiple, plurality and the like, as used herein, refer to more than one item, instance or event.

[0030] The term channel, as used herein, refers to any means of transmission, tangible or intangible, that is used to communicate data or a stream of data. The term channel may be synonymous with or equivalent to communication channel, data communication channel, transmission channel, data transmission channel, access channel, data access channel, link, data link, carrier, radio frequency carrier, or any other similar term denoting a path or medium through which data Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 16 / 104 7 / 49 are reported. Additionally, the term link, as used here, refers to a connection between two devices for the purpose of transmitting and receiving information.

[0031] The terms instantiate, instantiation, and similar terms, as used herein, refer to the creation of an instance. An instance also refers to a concrete occurrence of an object, which may occur, for example, during the execution of program code.

[0032] The term connected can mean that two or more elements, in a common communication protocol layer, have an established signaling relationship with each other through a communication channel, link, interface, or reference point.

[0033] The term network element, as used herein, refers to physical or virtualized equipment or infrastructure used to provide wired or wireless network communication services. The term network element may be considered synonymous with or referred to as network computer, network communication hardware, network equipment, network node, virtualized network function, or similar.

[0034] The term information element refers to a structural element containing one or more fields. The term field refers to the individual content of an information element or to a data element that contains content. An information element may include one or more additional information elements.

[0035] New mobile services requiring low-latency performance and high reliability (e.g., ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC)) are emerging. While the 5th generation (5G) 3GPP standards were designed to support these services from the outset, the evolution of 5G New Radio (NR) and future 6th generation (6G) radio access networks (RANs) needs to continuously improve mobility robustness performance. Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 17 / 104 8 / 49 for these challenging scenarios.

[0036] Layer 1 (L1) improvements for intercellular beam management, including L1 measurement and reporting and beam indication, are items of study to facilitate improved mobility. The term beam indication, as used in beam management concepts, represents signaling in which a user device (UD) obtains a new quasico-location (QCL) indication for receiving downlink (DL) signals, such as physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) or physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmissions. Beam indication may be relevant for LTM operations in which cell-switch commands (CSCs) and measurements are executed at lower layers of a communication protocol, e.g., L1 or Layer 2 (L2).In the context of LTM, once a new QCL indication comes into effect, for example, after a beam application time, the UE would receive DL transmissions from a new transmit-receive point (TRP).

[0037] A QCL relationship between a source and a destination can be defined by a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state. The source and destination can be reference signals, such as a synchronization signal block (SSB), a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) (for beam management or channel quality indicator (CQI) measurement), a sounding reference signal (SRS), or a demodulation reference signal (DMRS). Channel properties (e.g., pro Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 18 / 104 9 / 49 Spatial, time, or frequency domain properties) determined for the origin can be inferred in relation to the destination. Different QCL types indicate that different channel properties can be inferred. For example, QCL type A corresponds to Doppler shift, Doppler propagation, mean delay, and delay propagation; QCL type B corresponds to Doppler shift and Doppler propagation; QCL type C corresponds to Doppler shift and mean delay; and QCL type D corresponds to a spatial Rx parameter.

[0038] Several embodiments of the present invention describe the indication of beam information to candidate cells in a manner that reduces cell switching latency. Some embodiments describe how to configure TCI state information associated with candidate cells. These embodiments provide a design that considers the impact on power consumption and UE complexity caused by the analysis of radio resource control (RRC) configurations associated with candidate cells. This can be important, given that a network environment may have a large number of candidate cells and the processing of RRC configuration information elements (IEs) associated with each candidate cell can be computationally intensive. Other embodiments also describe how to efficiently signal beam indication information to derive TCI states for target candidate cell(s) to facilitate an LTM procedure.These approaches can take into account a situation where a server distributed unit (DU) may not know the configuration of the measurement reference signal (RS reference signal) and the TCI state configuration of cells served by another DU, which may be provided by another infrastructure provider.

[0039] Figure 1 illustrates a network environment 100 according to Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 19 / 104 10 / 49 some modalities. The network environment 100 may include a UE 104 communicatively associated with a base station 108 that provides a server cell 112. The server cell 112 may provide an air interface compatible with 3GPP TSs, such as those that define 5G NR or later system standards. The operations described here in relation to the server cell 112 may be performed by the base station 108 and vice versa. Depending on the technology, the base station 108 may be called eNB, gNB, ng-NB, etc. The base station 108 may provide the UE 104 with access to other networks, for example, a core network, a data network, etc.

[0040] Network environment 100 may also include two candidate cells, candidate cell 116 provided by base station 120 and candidate cell 124 provided by base station 128. Base stations 120 and 128 may provide access technology similar to that described above in relation to base station 108.

[0041] Base stations 108, 120, and 128 may be DUs provided by one or more vendors. Server cell 112 and candidate cells 116 and 124 may each be associated with a separate physical cell identifier (PCI). For example, server cell 112 may have a PCI of 6, candidate cell 116 may have a PCI of 10, and candidate cell 124 may have a PCI of 20.

[0042] To facilitate LTM operation, server cell 112 can configure UE 104 with TCI status information corresponding to candidate cells 116 and 124. This can be done in one or more of the following options.

[0043] In a first option, the TCI states associated with candidate cells 116 and 124 can be provided under server cell 112 via dedicated RRC signaling. For example, server cell 112 can transmit an RRC message to confi Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 20 / 104 11 / 49 Configure a server cell 200 configuration as shown in Figure 2 according to several embodiments. To facilitate this operation, each cell can be configured with an additional PCI index value (additionalPCIIndex). The additionalPCIIndex value can be a logical identifier that is different from, but associated with, the PCI. For example, server cell 112 can be associated with an additionalPCIIndex value of 0, candidate cell 116 can be associated with an additionalPCIIndex value of 1, and candidate cell 116 can be associated with an additionalPCIIndex value of 2. The network, for example, server cell 112, can provide an RRC configuration, for example, an additionalPCIIndex IE, to UE 104 to provide a mapping between additionalPCIIndex values ​​and PCI values ​​of the candidate cells. This RRC configuration can be provided separately from the server cell 200 configuration.

[0044] Server cell configuration 200 can associate individual TCI states from a list of TCI states with an additionalPCIIndex value. In particular, TCI states 0 and 1 can be associated with the additionalPCIIndex value 0 corresponding to PCI 6 of server cell 112, TCI states 2 and 3 can be associated with the additionalPCIIndex value 1 corresponding to PCI 10 of candidate cell 116, and TCI state 4 can be associated with the additionalPCIIndex value 2 corresponding to PCI 20 of candidate cell 124.

[0045] Using the additionalPCIIndex values ​​as an index of the configured PCIs, as described, can save a significant amount of signaling resources to provide a TCI state list configuration. Assuming the UE 104 is configured with eight PCIs, three bits may be sufficient for the additionalPCIIndex value to indicate each PCI. If the UE 104 were to signal the PCI directly, each PCI ID could consume 12 bits, requiring Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 21 / 104 12 / 49 of this is 12 * 8 = 96 bits of computational overhead for signaling.

[0046] In some embodiments, an additionalPCIIndex IE may be included in a TCI state configuration to indicate the PCI of an associated candidate cell.

[0047] In a second option, a list of TCI states associated with each candidate cell can be provided under the respective candidate cell as part of a cell group configuration (CG). This can be done, for example, by server cell 112 providing UE 104 configurations 300 of Figure 3 according to some embodiments.

[0048] Configurations 300 can include a server cell configuration 304 corresponding to server cell 112, a candidate cell configuration #1 308 corresponding to candidate cell 116, and a candidate cell configuration #2 312 corresponding to candidate cell 124. Each configuration can provide a respective list of TCI states. Server cell configuration 304 can include a list of TCI states 306 that includes TCI states for server cell 112. Candidate cell configuration #1 308 can include a list of TCI states 310 that includes TCI states for candidate cell 116. And candidate cell configuration #2 312 can include a list of TCI states 314 that includes TCI states for candidate cell 124.

[0049] In a third option, the TCI state lists associated with the candidate cells can be provided in a common pool configuration that is independent of the server / candidate cell configurations. Figure 4 illustrates 400 configurations that can be used for the third option according to some modalities.

[0050] 400 configurations may include a 404 server cell configuration, a 408 common pool configuration, a con Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 22 / 104 13 / 49 candidate cell configuration no. 1 424 and a candidate cell configuration no. 2 428.

[0051] Cell configurations – server cell configuration 404, candidate cell configuration #1 424, and candidate cell configuration #2 428 – may include information other than the TCI state lists that can be used to configure (e.g., add or modify) UE 104 with the different cells. For example, this other information may include bandwidth part (BWP) information, time division duplex (TDD) information, metering settings, etc. In some embodiments, cell configurations may be similar to the server cell configuration as defined in 3GPP TS 38.331 v17.4.0 (2023-03).

[0052] The common pool configuration 408 can include a plurality of TCI state lists that can correspond to a respective plurality of PCIs (cells). For example, the common pool configuration 408 can include TCI state list 412 for PCI 6 (server cell 112), TCI state list 416 for PCI 10 (candidate cell 116), and TCI state list 420 for PCI 20 (candidate cell 124).

[0053] Providing the common pool configuration 408 can allow the UE 104 to avoid analyzing the complete configurations of candidate cells before receiving a CSC. Instead, the UE 104 only needs to analyze the common pool configuration 408 to determine the various TCI states. If the UE 104 receives a CSC that instructs a switch for candidate cell 116, for example, the UE 104 can subsequently analyze the configuration of candidate cell #1 424, but may not need to analyze other configurations, such as the configuration of candidate cell #2 428. This can reduce power consumption in the UE 104. Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 23 / 104 14 / 49

[0054] The TCI states of a candidate cell can be activated based on measurement reports received by the network. The activation of TCI states associated with candidate cells can be performed according to a first option in which the server base station 108 selects the TCI states for activation or according to a second option in which the server base station 108 provides an indication of target RSs to UE 104, which are then mapped to the TCI states by UE 104.

[0055] Figure 5 illustrates a 500 signaling procedure for activating the TCI state based on the first option according to some modalities. The 500 signaling procedure may include signals between operations performed by UE 104, a server DU 504, and a destination DU 508. The server DU 504 may correspond to base station 108 in Figure 1, and the destination DU 508 may correspond to base station 120 or 128 in Figure 1.

[0056] Signaling procedure 500 may include, in 512, UE 104 sending a measurement report to the server DU. The 512 measurement report may be based on measurements from several RSs that are configured for measurement. The RSs may include SSBs or channel state information reference signals (CSI-RSs) transmitted in several cells, including server cells and candidate cells. In some embodiments, the 512 measurement report may include an indication of desirable RSs, for example, RSs that meet a predetermined criterion to support communications. The predetermined criteria may be, for example, that a reference signal receive power (RSRP) measurement of L1 of the RS is above a predetermined threshold.

[0057] Upon receipt of the measurement report, which may consist of a consolidated report or a plurality of individual reports, the DU server 504 may select TCI states for Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 24 / 104 15 / 49 activation based on the RSs reported in 516.

[0058] Signaling procedure 500 may then include server DU 504 transmitting a beam indication message on 520. The beam indication message may indicate N TCI states that should be activated, where N is an integer greater than zero. The N TCI states may be associated with at least one candidate cell.

[0059] Signaling procedure 500 may also include, in 524, UE 104 and destination DU 508 communicating using one or more of the N activated TCI states. The communication may include, for example, UE 104 receiving DL signals based on a DL TCI state associated with the destination DU.

[0060] Signaling procedure 500 can be used for TCI state activation if the serving DU 504 is aware of the TCI state lists of the candidate cells (e.g., target DU 508). If the serving DU 504 is not aware of the TCI state lists, the second option can be used. The second option can use two-step signaling to indicate beam information to candidate cells.

[0061] Figure 6 illustrates a 600 signaling procedure for TCI activation based on the second option according to some modalities. The 600 signaling procedure may include signals between and operations performed by UE 104, the serving DU 504 and the destination DU 508.

[0062] Signaling procedure 600 may include, in 604, UE 104 sending a measurement report to the serving DU. The measurement report in 604 may be similar to the measurement report described above in relation to Figure 5.

[0063] Upon receiving the measurement report, the DU server 504 can select RSs for indication from the reported RSs. Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 25 / 104 16 / 49 tados in 608.

[0064] Signaling procedure 600 can then include server DU 504 transmitting a beam indication message on 612. The beam indication message can provide RS IDs or indexes to indicate N RSs that are selected from the measurement report. The RSs can be SSB or CSI-RSs from candidate cells, which can be configured by RRC signaling.

[0065] Signaling procedure 600 may also include, in 616, UE 104 mapping indicated RSs to TCI states for activation. UE may derive the TCI states associated with the indicated RSs based on the TCI state lists previously provided for a corresponding candidate cell (e.g., by configurations 300 or 400).

[0066] Signaling procedure 600 may also include, in 620, UE 104 and destination DU 508 communicating using activated TCI states. The communication may include, for example, UE 104 receiving DL signals based on a DL TCI state associated with the destination DU or transmitting UL signals based on a UL TCI state associated with the destination DU.

[0067] Signaling procedure 600 can be used for TCI state activation in the case where server DU 504 is unaware (or has incomplete knowledge) of the TCI state lists of the candidate cells (e.g., target DU 508), but UE 104 has been configured with this information. It should be noted that even if server cell 112 configures UE 104 with TCI state lists of the candidate cells (e.g., providing configurations 200 or 300), server base station 108 may still not be aware of the directly configured information. Thus, in this case, base station 108 can rely on UE 104 to provide these associations based on this configured information. Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 26 / 104 17 / 49

[0068] Several signaling approaches can be used to provide beam information (e.g., IDs or RS indices) in the beam indication message of Figure 6. This can be done according to one or more of the following three aspects.

[0069] In one aspect, the TCI state enable / disable MAC CE can be enhanced to explicitly indicate RS IDs. A MAC CE that indicates RS IDs for TCI state enable / disable can be identified by a new dedicated MAC subheader with an extended logical channel identifier (eLCID). The MAC CE to indicate RS IDs from the first aspect can be generated according to one or more of the following two options, as illustrated in Figures 7 and 8.

[0070] Figure 7 illustrates a MAC 700 CE that can be used to indicate RS IDs for TCI state activation / deactivation based on the first option according to some modalities. The MAC 700 CE can indicate one or more RS IDs for a single candidate cell.

[0071] The MAC 700 CE can include, in a first octet, a destination candidate cell ID. In each of the following octets, an RS ID is provided. The RS IDs are shown as six bits, which can allow the indication of one of up to sixty-four TCI states that can typically be configured. As shown, the MAC 700 CE can indicate M RS IDs. An octet can also include a D / U bit to indicate whether the RS ID in the same octet should be used to derive a joint / downlink or uplink TCI state. If the D / U bit is set to a first value, for example, 0, the associated TCI state can be a joint TCI state (for example, used for UL and DL) or a DL TCI state. If the D / U bit is set to a second value, Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 27 / 104 18 / 49 for example, 1, the associated TCI state may be a UL TCI state. If a UL TCI state is activated, it may be paired with a joint / DL activated TCI state.

[0072] Figure 8 illustrates a MAC 800 CE that can be used to indicate RS IDs for TCI state activation / deactivation based on the second option according to some modalities. The MAC 800 CE can indicate one or more RS IDs for a plurality of candidate cells.

[0073] The first octets of the MAC 800 CE can provide candidate cell plurality IDs. As shown, the first octet can include candidate cell IDs #1 and #2, while the second octet can include candidate cell IDs #3 and #4.

[0074] Following the candidate cell IDs, the MAC 800 CE may include the RS IDs. And, similarly to the MAC 700 CE, each octet may also include a D / U bit to indicate whether the RS ID in the same octet should be used to derive a downlink or uplink TCI state.

[0075] Each of the listed candidate cells may have one or two of the indicated RS IDs to derive the DL and UL TCI states for potential LTM operation. The associations between an RS ID and TCI state(s) may be based on the display order. For example, candidate cell ID #1 may be associated with RS ID #1 (if RS ID #1 is indicated as a joint / DL TCI state and RS ID #2 is indicated as a joint / DL state) or may be associated with RS ID #1 and #2 (if RS ID #1 is indicated as a joint / DL TCI state and RS ID #2 is indicated as a UL TCI state); candidate cell ID #2 may be associated with the next one or two TCI states, etc. Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 28 / 104 19 / 49

[0076] A second aspect of providing beam information in the beam indication message of Figure 5 can be based on the RS IDs reported by UE in the measurement reports transmitted on 512 and 604. According to this aspect, a new MAC CE can be introduced on signal indices that correspond to the RS(s) reported by UE 104 in the most recent measurement report to be used for TCI state mapping. This can be done based on one or more of the following two options, as illustrated in the MAC CEs of Figure 9, according to some embodiments.

[0077] MAC 900 CEs can include a MAC 904 CE that can be used in a first option where bitmap-based signaling is used in relation to the RS IDs reported by the UE. The total number of RSs reported by UE 104 for each measurement report, denoted as N, can be configured by RRC signaling. The MAC 904 CE can include RS(i) fields. Assuming eight RSs are reported by UE 104, for example, N = 8, the MAC 904 CE can include eight fields, RS(0) - RS(7). The RS(i) fields can be arranged so that increasing values ​​of i are associated with decreasing L1-RSRP values. For example, RS(0) is associated with the RS with the highest measured L1-RSRP value, RS(1) is associated with the RS with the second highest measured L1-RSRP value, etc.A first bit value, for example, 1, can signal that the corresponding RS ID (and associated RS) is indicated for a TCI state activation base (for example, for activation of a TCI state that corresponds to the RS), while a second bit value, for example, 0, can signal that the related RS is not indicated for the TCI state activation base. Thus, a value of 10101100 can signal that the RSs reported with the highest, third highest, fifth highest, and sixth highest L1-RSRPs are indicated. Post. Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 29 / 104 20 / 49 Subsequently, UE 104 can activate TCI states associated with the indicated RSs.

[0078] MAC 900 CEs may also include a MAC 908 CE which can be used in a second option that depends on a total number of RS IDs reported by the UE. The second option may include a first step in which the RS IDs reported by UE 104 in the measurement report are numbered continuously in descending order of L1-RSRP values. The MAC 908 CE may then include a total number of RS(s) (TNR) field which can be used to signal the total number of contiguous RS IDs from the RS ID with the highest L1-RSRP value that are indicated for the TCI state activation base. A 3-bit TNR field may be able to indicate up to a total of eight RSs. This option may be based on the premise that base station 108 will likely indicate the strongest RSs for TCI state activation.Compared to the first option, the second option may lose some flexibility in the RSs that can be indicated, but it also saves computational overhead, as it only needs three bits compared to eight bits to indicate up to eight RSs.

[0079] Given that each RS ID can be a six-bit identifier, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, the use of the second-aspect indexing technique can significantly reduce the computational overhead of signaling.

[0080] MAC 900 CEs can be identified by a MAC subheader with LCID and a fixed size depending on the value of N.

[0081] In some modes, a rule may be predefined in, for example, a 3GPP TS indicating which of the RSs reported by UE 104 should be used to derive the TCI states. For example, in some cases, it may be predefined that the ID(s) of Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 30 / 104 21 / 49 The RS with the highest L1-RSRP value(s) should be used to activate the TCI state. In other examples, additional or alternative criteria may be predefined.

[0082] A third aspect of beam information provision may relate to the provision of SSB index(es) in the beam indication message of Figure 6. With this aspect, a PDCCH order can be used as the beam indication message used to determine the activated TCI states for the candidate cell. A PDCCH order may include a DCI 1_0 format transmission that instructs UE 104 to activate a random access procedure for uplink synchronization. The PDCCH order can be used to identify an SSB index for uplink synchronization. Given an assumption of channel reciprocity, for example, the uplink channel may be similar to the downlink channel, some modalities may use this SSB index as a basis to also determine the DL TCI states. The PDCCH order can be used for TCI state activation according to one or more of the following options.

[0083] In a first option, the SSB indices and corresponding candidate cell identifiers are explicitly indicated by a DCI payload of order PDCCH. The SSB indices can be used to determine the TCI states for activation operation and can be associated with one or more candidate cells to activate a CFRA procedure for timing advance (TA) acquisition.

[0084] Figure 10 illustrates DCIs of order PDCCH 1000 according to some modalities. DCIs of order PDCCH 1000 may have cyclic redundancy check (CRC) bits scrambled by a new dedicated radio network temporary identifier (RNTI). Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 31 / 104 22 / 49 of.

[0085] DCIs of order PDCCH 1000 may include a plurality of blocks, block no. 1 - block no. N. The number of blocks may be configured by RRC signaling or fixed in a descriptive report, for example, a 3GPP TS. Each block may include a field for candidate cell ID, SSB index, and PRACH index. The candidate cell ID may be a physical cell ID or a logical ID (e.g., an additionalPCIIndex value) which may be configured by RRC signaling.

[0086] The payload size of DCIs of order PDCCH 1000 for LTM may be less than or equal to the payload size of a monitored DCI 1_0 format in a common lookup space of the same server cell. If the payload size is smaller, zero padding may be used until the payload equals the size of the DCI 1_0 format.

[0087] Figure 11 illustrates an 1100 network environment to describe the third aspect according to some modalities.

[0088] The 1100 network environment may include an UE 1104, a base station 1108 providing a server cell 1112, a base station 1116 providing a candidate cell #1 with a PCI #2, a base station 1120 providing a candidate cell #2 with a PCI #6, and a base station 1108 providing a candidate cell #3 with a PCI #18. The components of the 1100 network environment may be similar to those described above in relation to the 100 network environment.

[0089] UE 1104 can receive SSB no. 3 from candidate cell no. 1 and SSB no. 8 from candidate cell no. 2.

[0090] UE 1104 can receive a TCI 1124 state configuration that maps multiple SSB indices to TCI states.

[0091] Figure 12 illustrates a 1200 signaling diagram for Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 32 / 104 23 / 49 enable TCI states in the 1100 network environment according to some modes.

[0092] Signaling diagram 1200 may include a PDCCH order 1204 that configures UE 1104 with a first block that includes SSB #3, preamble #36 and PCI #2 and a second block that includes SSB #8, preamble #48 and PCI #6. Thus, the first block can activate CFRA towards candidate cell #1 (using preamble #36), and the second block can activate CFRA towards candidate cell #2 (using preamble #48). UE 104 can then assume, based on TCI state configuration 1124, that TCI state #10 is activated for candidate cell #1 for LTM operation, and TCI state #6 is activated for candidate cell #2 for LTM operation.

[0093] In a second option of the third aspect, a two-step RS indication can be used. In the second option, instead of explicitly indicating the SSB / PRACH in the PDCCH order payload as done in the first option, a CFRA feature configuration is first provided via RRC signaling during an LTM pre-configuration phase and subsequently a PDCCH order is provided with indices that reference the CFRA feature configuration.

[0094] Figure 13 illustrates a 1300 signaling diagram for activating TCI states in the 1100 network environment according to some modalities. In a first step, a 1304 CFRA resource configuration can be provided to UE 104 by RRC signaling in an LTM pre-configuration phase. The 1304 CFRA resource configuration can configure CFRA preamble indices (e.g., RACH indices) with associated SSB indices for each candidate cell.

[0095] In a second stage, an order of PDCCH 1308, in Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 33 / 104 24 / 49 including configuration indexes that refer to CFRA resource configuration, can be transmitted to UE 104. UE 104 can obtain the configuration indexes from PDCCH order 1308 and determine the activated TCI states according to the SSB indexes associated with the indicated configuration indexes. As shown, PDCCH order 1308 provides configuration indexes #1 / #2. UE 104 can then assume, based on TCI state configuration 1124 and CFRA resource configuration 1304, that TCI state #10 is activated for candidate cell #1 for LTM operation, and TCI state #6 is activated for candidate cell #2 for LTM operation.

[0096] Compared to the first option, the second option can reduce the signaling overhead of the PDCCH order. However, the second option may also have less flexibility compared to the first option, given its dependence on the previously configured CFRA resource configuration 1304. In some modes, if the desired TCI state activation cannot be achieved through the second option, UE 104 may resort to using the first option described above in relation to Figure 12.

[0097] Figure 14 illustrates an operational flow / algorithmic structure 1400 for beam configuration and indication for LTM operation according to some modalities. The operational flow / algorithmic structure 1400 can be implemented by a UE, such as, for example, UE 104, UE 1104, UE 160 or components within them, for example, 1604 processors.

[0098] The operational flow / algorithmic structure 1400 may include, in 1404, receiving configuration information to configure a TCI state associated with a candidate cell. In some embodiments, the configuration information may be a server cell configuration that sets up a list of TCI states with a Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 34 / 104 25 / 49 plurality of TCI states including the TCI state. Configuration information can additionally associate TCI states with corresponding additionalPCIIndex values. AdditionalPCIIndex values ​​can be associated with PCIs from multiple cells in a network environment. The association can be based on configuration information provided with or separate from the server cell configuration.

[0099] In some embodiments, the configuration information may be a candidate cell configuration that configures a list of TCI states associated with the candidate cell or a common pool configuration that configures a list of TCI states for individual cells in a network environment. The candidate cell configuration or the common pool configuration may be separate from a server cell configuration that configures a list of TCI states for the server cell.

[00100] The operational flow / algorithmic structure 1400 may also include, in 1408, transmitting a measurement report. The measurement report may be based on measurements of reference signals transmitted by cells in a network environment. The reference signals may be SSB or CSI-RS signals. In some embodiments, the measurement report may include reference signal identifiers. In some embodiments, the reference signal identifiers may be ordered within the measurement report based on measurement values ​​associated with the reference signals corresponding to the reference signal identifiers. For example, the measurement report may include a reference signal identifier associated with a higher reported measurement value first, and subsequent reference signal identifiers may be associated with decreasing measurement values.

[00101] The operational flow / algorithmic structure 1400 may include Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 35 / 104 26 / 49 still, at 1408, receive a beam indication message. In some modes, the beam indication message may indicate one or more TCI states associated with at least one candidate cell for activation. In other modes, the beam indication message may include one or more reference signal identifiers, and the UE may map the identifiers to TCI states for activation. In these modes, the beam indication message may be a MAC CE that includes reference signal identifiers corresponding to one candidate cell, or a MAC CE that includes reference signal identifiers corresponding to a plurality of candidate cells. The MAC CE may include a MAC subheader with an eLCID to indicate that the MAC CE is a TCI state activation / deactivation MAC CE that includes reference signal identifiers.

[00102] In some embodiments, the beam indication message may include reference signal indices that may correspond to the reference signal identifiers in the measurement report. For example, the beam indication message may include a bitmap with individual values ​​corresponding to reference signal identifiers included in the measurement report. An individual bit value may indicate whether a corresponding reference signal identifier should serve as a TCI activation basis.

[00103] In some embodiments, the beam indication message may indicate a total number of contiguous reference signal identifiers that are indicated for the TCI state activation base starting with a reference signal identifier associated with a higher measurement value from the total number. In these embodiments, the measurement report may include the reference signal identifiers in descending order of associated measurement values. Thus, the total number signal may indicate one or more of the identifiers. Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 36 / 104 27 / 49 reference signal modifiers associated with the highest measurement values.

[00104] In some modes, the beam indication message may be a PDCCH order for uplink synchronization. The PDCCH order may include one or more blocks, with each block having a candidate cell identifier (e.g., a PCI or a logical identifier), an SSB index, and a PRACH index. The SSB index may serve as a TCI state activation basis in these modes.

[00105] In some embodiments, an RRC signal can be used to set up a table that associates CFRA preambles and SSB indices with candidate cells. After that, a PDCCH order, used as the beam indication message, can simply include an index to the table set up to indicate an SSB index that should serve as a TCI state activation basis.

[00106] The operational flow / algorithmic structure 1400 may also include, in 1408, activating the TCI state for communication with the candidate cell based on the beam indication message.

[00107] Figure 15 illustrates an operational flow / algorithmic structure 1500 for beam configuration and indication for LTM operation according to some modalities. The operational flow / algorithmic structure 1500 can be implemented by a base station, such as, for example, BS 108, BS 1108 or BS 1700 or components in them, for example, 1704 processors.

[00108] Operational flow / algorithmic structure 1500 may include, in 1504, transmitting configuration information to configure a TCI state associated with a candidate cell. The configuration information may be similar to that described above in relation to Figure 14. Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 37 / 104 28 / 49

[00109] Operational flow / algorithmic structure 1500 may also include, in 1508, receiving the measurement report based on UE measurements from one or more reference signals. The measurement report may be similar to that described above in relation to Figure 14.

[00110] The operational flow / algorithmic structure 1500 may also include, in 1512, transmitting a beam indication message to activate the TCI state for communication with the candidate cell. The beam indication message may be similar to that described above in relation to Figure 14.

[00111] Figure 16 illustrates a UE 1600 according to some embodiments. The UE 1600 may be similar to and substantially interchangeable with the UE 104 of Figure 1 or with the UE 1104 of Figure 11.

[00112] The UE 1600 can be any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as mobile phones, computers, tablets, XR devices, glasses, wireless industrial sensors (e.g., microphone, carbon dioxide sensor, pressure sensor, humidity sensor, thermometer, motion sensor, accelerometer, laser scanner, fluid level sensor, stock sensor, voltage / current meter, or actuator), video surveillance / monitoring device (e.g., camera or camcorder), wearable device (e.g., a smartwatch), or Internet of Things device.

[00113] The UE 1600 may include processors 1604, RF interface circuitry 1608, memory / storage 1612, user interface 1616, sensors 1620, driver circuitry 1622, power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 1624, antenna structure 1626, and battery 1628. The components of the UE 1600 may be implemented as integrated circuits (ICs), portions thereof, distinct electronic devices, or Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 38 / 104 29 / 49 other modules, logic, hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. The block diagram in Figure 16 aims to show a high-level view of some of the UE 1600 components. However, some of the components shown may be omitted, additional components may be present, and different arrangements of the components shown may occur in other implementations.

[00114] UE 1600 components can be coupled to various other components in one or more 1632 interconnects, which can represent any type of interface, input / output, bus (local, system or expansion), transmission line, trace or optical connection that allows various circuit components (on different or common chips or chipsets) to interact with each other.

[00115] 1604 processors may include a set of processor circuits such as, for example, a baseband (BB) processor circuit set 1604A, a central processor unit (CPU) circuit set 1604B, and a graphics processor unit (GPU) circuit set 1604C. 1604 processors may include any type of circuit set or processor circuit set that executes or otherwise operates computer executable instructions, such as program code, software modules, or functional processes from memory / storage 1612 to cause the UE 1600 to perform beam pointing and configuration operations for LTM as described herein.

[00116] In some embodiments, the 1604A baseband processor circuitry can access a 1636 communication protocol stack in memory / storage 1612 to communicate over a 3GPP-compliant network. In general, the Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 39 / 104 The 30 / 49 baseband processor circuit set 1604A can access the 1636 communication protocol stack to: perform user plane functions in a PHY layer, MAC layer, RLC sublayer, PDCP sublayer, SDAP sublayer, and top layer; and perform control plane functions in a PHY layer, MAC layer, RLC sublayer, PDCP sublayer, RRC layer, and a NAS layer. In some embodiments, PHY layer operations may be additionally / alternatively performed by components of the 1608 RF interface circuit set.

[00117] The 1604A baseband processor circuitry can generate or process baseband signals or waveforms that carry information on 3GPP-compliant networks. In some embodiments, the waveforms for NR networks can be based on cyclic prefix OFDM (CP-OFDM) on the uplink or downlink, and on discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM) on the uplink.

[00118] Memory / storage 1612 may include one or more non-transient computer-readable media containing instructions (e.g., the communication protocol stack 1636) that may be executed by one or more of the processors 1604 to cause the UE 1600 to perform beam pointing and configuration operations for LTM as described herein. For example, the processors 1604 may cause the UE to execute the operational flow / algorithmic structure 1400, or any other method or process described herein.

[00119] Memory / storage 1612 includes any type of volatile or non-volatile memory that can be distributed throughout the UE 1600. In some embodiments, part of the memory / storage 1612 may be located in the processors themselves 1604 (for Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 40 / 104 31 / 49 example, in the L1 and L2 cache), while another part of the 1612 memory / storage is external to the 1604 processors, but accessible to them through a memory interface. The 1612 memory / storage may include any suitable volatile or non-volatile memory, such as, but not limited to, dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state memory, or any other type of memory device technology.

[00120] The 1608 RF interface circuitry may include a transceiver circuitry and a radio frequency front module (RFEM) that allows the UE 1600 to communicate with other devices via a radio access network. The 1608 RF interface circuitry may include various elements arranged in transmit or receive paths. These elements may include, for example, switches, mixers, amplifiers, filters, a synthesizer circuitry, and a control circuitry.

[00121] In the receiving path, the RFEM can receive a signal radiated from an air interface through the 1626 antenna structure and proceed to filter and amplify the signal (with a low-noise amplifier). The signal can be provided to a transceiver receiver that converts the RF signal to a low-frequency baseband signal that is provided to the baseband processor of the 1604 processors.

[00122] In the transmission path, the transmitter of the transceiver Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 41 / 104 32 / 49 up-converts the baseband signal received from the baseband processor and provides the RF signal to the RFEM. The RFEM can amplify the RF signal through a power amplifier before the signal is radiated at the air interface through the 1626 antenna structure.

[00123] In several modes, the 1608 RF interface circuitry can be configured to transmit / receive signals in a manner compatible with NR access technologies.

[00124] The 1626 antenna structure may include antenna elements for converting electrical signals into radio waves for airborne transmission and for converting received radio waves into electrical signals. The antenna elements may be arranged in one or more antenna panels. The 1626 antenna structure may have antenna panels that are omnidirectional, directional, or a combination thereof to enable beamforming and multi-input multi-output communications. The 1626 antenna structure may include microstrip antennas, surface-mounted antennas fabricated on one or more printed circuit boards, planar antennas, or phased array antennas. The 1626 antenna structure may have one or more panels designed for specific frequency bands, including bands in FR1 or FR2.

[00125] The 1616 user interface includes several input / output (I / O) devices designed to enable user interaction with the UE 1600. The 1616 user interface includes a set of input device circuits and a set of output device circuits. The input device circuit set includes any physical or virtual means of accepting input including, but not limited to, one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), a physical keyboard, numeric keypad, mouse, touchpad, touchscreen, microphones, scanner, headset, Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 42 / 104 33 / 49 or similar. The output device circuitry includes any physical or virtual means of displaying information or otherwise transmitting information, such as sensor readings, actuator position(s), or other similar information. The output device circuitry may include any number or combinations of audio or visual displays, including, but not limited to, one or more simple visual outputs / indicators (e.g., binary status indicators such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and multi-character visual outputs, or more complex outputs such as display devices or touch screens (e.g., liquid crystal displays (LCDs), LED displays, quantum dot displays, and projectors), with the output of characters, graphics, multimedia objects, and the like being generated or produced from the operation of the UE 1600.

[00126] 1620 sensors may include devices, modules, or subsystems whose purpose is to detect events or changes in their environment and send information (sensor data) about the detected events to some other device, module, or subsystem.Examples of such sensors include inertial measurement units comprising accelerometers, gyroscopes, or magnetometers; microelectromechanical systems or nanoelectromechanical systems comprising 3-axis accelerometers, 3-axis gyroscopes, or magnetometers; level sensors; flow sensors; temperature sensors (e.g., thermistors); pressure sensors; barometric pressure sensors; gravimeters; altimeters; image capture devices (e.g., cameras or lensless apertures); light detection and ranging sensors; proximity sensors (e.g., an infrared radiation detector and the like); depth sensors; ambient light sensors; ultrasonic transmission; and microphones or other similar audio capture devices. Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 43 / 104 34 / 49 res.

[00127] The 1622 driver circuit assembly may include software and hardware elements that operate to control specific devices that are integrated into, fixed to, or otherwise communicatively coupled to the UE 1600. The 1622 driver circuit assembly may include individual drivers that enable other components to interact with or control various I / O devices that may be present in, or connected to, the UE 1600. For example, the 1622 driver circuit assembly may include a circuit assembly to facilitate the coupling of a UICC (e.g., UICC 168) to the UE 1600.For further examples, the 1622 actuator circuit set may include a display actuator for controlling and enabling access to a display device, a touch-screen actuator for controlling and enabling access to a touch-screen interface, sensor actuators for obtaining sensor readings from the 1620 sensors and controlling and enabling access to the 1620 sensors, actuators for obtaining actuator positions from electromechanical components or for controlling and enabling access to electromechanical components, a camera actuator for controlling and enabling access to an integrated image capture device, audio actuators for controlling and enabling access to one or more audio devices.

[00128] The PMIC 1624 can manage the power supplied to various UE 1600 components. In particular, with regard to the 1604 processors, the PMIC 1624 can control power source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or CCCC conversion.

[00129] In some embodiments, the PMIC 1624 can control, or otherwise integrate, various UE 1600 energy saving mechanisms, including XRD, as discussed here. Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 44 / 104 35 / 49

[00130] A 1628 battery can power the UE 1600, although in some examples the UE 1600 may be mounted deployed in a fixed location and may have a power supply coupled to an electrical grid. The 1628 battery may be a lithium-ion battery, a metal-air battery such as a zinc-air battery, an aluminum-air battery, a lithium-air battery, and the like. In some implementations, such as in vehicle-based applications, the 1628 battery may be a typical lead-acid automotive battery.

[00131] Figure 17 illustrates a 1700 base station according to some embodiments. The 1700 base station may be similar to and substantially interchangeable with the 108 base station of Figure 1 or the 1108 base station of Figure 11.

[00132] Base station 1700 may include processors 1704, RF interface circuitry 1708 (if implemented as an access node), core network (CN) circuitry 1712, memory / storage 1716 and antenna structure 1726.

[00133] The base station components 1700 can be coupled to several other components in one or more interconnections 1732.

[00134] Processors 1704, RF interface circuitry 1708, memory / storage 1716 (including communication protocol stack 1710), antenna structure 1726 and interconnects 1732 may be similar to similarly named elements shown and described in relation to Figure 16.

[00135] Memory / storage 1716 may include one or more computer-readable non-transient media containing instructions (e.g., the communication protocol stack 1710) that may be executed by one or more of the processors 1704 to cause the base station 1700 to perform pointing and operations. Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 45 / 104 36 / 49 beam configuration for LTM as described herein. For example, processors 1704 can cause base station 1700 to execute operational flow / algorithmic structure 1500 or any other method or process described herein.

[00136] The CN 1712 interface circuitry can provide connectivity to a core network, for example, a 5th generation core network (5GC) using a 5GC-compatible network interface protocol, such as carrier Ethernet protocols, or some other suitable protocol. Network connectivity can be provided to or from the 1700 base station via a fiber optic or wireless backhaul. The CN 1712 interface circuitry may include one or more dedicated processors or FPGAs to communicate using one or more of the aforementioned protocols. In some implementations, the CN 1712 interface circuitry may include multiple controllers to provide connectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

[00137] In some embodiments, the 1700 base station can be coupled to transmit and receive points (TRPs) using the 1726 antenna structure, the CN interface circuitry, or another set of interface circuits.

[00138] It is well understood that the use of personally identifiable information must follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding governmental or industry requirements to maintain user privacy. In particular, personally identifiable information data must be managed and handled in a way that minimizes the risk of unintended or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use must be clearly indicated to users.

[00139] For one or more aspects, at least one of the components Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 46 / 104 37 / 49 The elements presented in one or more of the preceding figures can be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, or methods as presented in the example section below. For example, a set of baseband circuits as described above in connection with one or more of the preceding figures can be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples presented below. For another example, the set of circuits associated with a UE, a base station, or a network element, as described above in connection with one or more of the preceding figures, can be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples presented below in the example section. Examples

[00140] Additional illustrative aspects are provided in the following sections.

[00141] Example 1 includes a method of operating a user equipment (UE), wherein the method comprises: receiving, from a server cell, configuration information to configure a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state associated with a candidate cell; transmitting, to the server cell, a measurement report based on measurements of one or more reference signals; receiving, from the server cell, a beam indication message; and activating the TCI state for communication with the candidate cell based on the beam indication message.

[00142] Example 2 includes the method of Example 1 or some other example in the present invention, wherein: the configuration information is a server cell configuration that: configures a list of TCI states that includes the TCI state; and associates the TCI state with an additional physical cell identifier (PCI) index associated with a candidate cell PCI.

[00143] Example 3 includes the method from Example 1 or some other method. Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 47 / 104 38 / 49 another example in the present invention which further comprises: receiving, from the server cell, a server cell configuration that is intended to configure a first list of TCI states associated with the server cell; and receiving, from the server cell, a candidate cell configuration that includes configuration information, wherein the configuration information is intended to configure a second list of TCI states associated with the candidate cell, wherein the second list of TCI states includes the TCI state.

[00144] Example 4 includes a method of Example 1 or of some other example in the present invention that further comprises: receiving, from the server cell, a common pool configuration that includes configuration information, wherein the configuration information is intended to configure a first list of TCI states associated with the server cell and a second list of TCI states associated with the candidate cell, wherein the second list of TCI states includes the TCI state.

[00145] Example 5 includes a method of Example 4 or of some other example in the present invention that further comprises: receiving a server cell configuration and a candidate cell configuration, wherein the server cell configuration and the candidate cell configuration are independent of the common pool configuration.

[00146] Example 6 includes a method of Example 1 or some other example in the present invention, wherein the beam indication message is intended to indicate one or more TCI states associated with at least one candidate cell for activation, wherein the at least one candidate cell includes the candidate cell, and the one or more TCI states include the TCI state.

[00147] Example 7 includes a method of Example 1 or some other example in the present invention, where the message indicates Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 48 / 104 39 / 49 beam identification is intended to indicate one or more reference signal identifiers associated with at least one candidate cell, wherein at least one candidate cell includes the candidate cell, and the method further comprises: mapping a first reference signal identifier from one or more reference signal indices to the TCI state; and activating the TCI status based on said mapping.

[00148] Example 8 includes a method of Example 7 or some other example in the present invention, wherein the beam indication message comprises a TCI state enable / disable media access control (MAC) element with a single candidate cell identifier, associated with the candidate cell, and one or more reference signal identifiers, wherein the one or more reference signal identifiers are all associated with the single candidate cell identifier.

[00149] Example 9 includes a method of Example 7 or some other example in the present invention, wherein the candidate cell is a first candidate cell, the at least one candidate cell includes the first candidate cell and a second candidate cell, the one or more reference signal identifiers include the first reference signal identifier and a second reference signal identifier, and the beam indication message comprises a TCI state enable / disable media access control (MAC) element with: a first candidate cell identifier associated with the first candidate cell; a second candidate cell identifier associated with the second candidate cell; the first reference signal identifier associated with the first candidate cell; and the second reference signal identifier associated with the second candidate cell.

[00150] Example 10 includes a method of Example 8, Example 9 or some other example in the present invention, wherein the CE of Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 49 / 104 40 / 49 The TCI state enable / disable MAC comprises a MAC subheader with an extended logical channel identifier (eLCID) to indicate that the TCI state enable / disable MAC CE includes reference signal identifiers corresponding to one or more candidate cells.

[00151] Example 11 includes the method of Example 1 or of some other example in the present invention which further comprises: receiving, in the radio resource control (RRC) signaling, an indication of a total number of reference signals that may serve as a basis for measurement reporting; ensuring that the one or more reference signals do not exceed the total number of reference signals; and generating the measurement report to include one or more reference signal identifiers that correspond respectively to the one or more reference signals, wherein the beam indication message includes a bitmap of one or more bits that correspond respectively to the one or more reference signal identifiers, and a first bit value is intended to indicate that a corresponding reference signal identifier is indicated for a TCI state activation basis.

[00152] Example 12 includes a method of Example 1 or of some other example in the present invention, wherein the one or more reference signals include a plurality of reference signals, each of the plurality of reference signals having a corresponding measurement value, and the method further comprises: generating the measurement report to include a plurality of reference signal identifiers respectively associated with the plurality of reference signals, wherein the plurality of reference signal identifiers is ordered within the measurement report based on a descending order of measurement values ​​of the associated reference signals; and wherein the beam indication message includes a Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 50 / 104 41 / 49 indicates a total number of contiguous reference signal identifiers that are indicated for the TCI state activation base, starting with a reference signal identifier associated with a higher measurement value than the total number of contiguous reference signal identifiers.

[00153] Example 13 includes a method of Example 1 or of some other example in the present invention, wherein the beam indication message comprises a downlink control physical channel order (PDCCH) for uplink synchronization, the PDCCH order being to include an identifier associated with the candidate cell, a synchronization signal block index (SSB) and a random access physical channel index (PRACH), and the method further comprises: determining the TCI state based on the SSB index.

[00154] Example 14 includes a method of Example 13 or some other example in the present invention, wherein the candidate cell is a first candidate cell, the PDCCH order includes a first block for the identifier, the SSB index and the PRACH index associated with the first candidate cell, and the PDCCH order further includes a second block for an identifier, an SSB index and a PRACH index associated with a second candidate cell.

[00155] Example 15 includes the method of Example 1 or some other example in the present invention which further comprises: receiving a radio resource control (RRC) signal to provide a first configuration that associates a contention-free random access (CFRA) preamble and a synchronization signal block (SSB) index to the candidate cell, wherein the beam indication message comprises a downlink control physical channel order (PDCCH) for uplink synchronization, the PDCCH order being to include an index corresponding to Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 51 / 104 42 / 49 first configuration; and determine the TCI status based on the SSB index of the first configuration.

[00156] Example 16 includes a method to be implemented by a base station, wherein the method comprises: transmitting to a user equipment (UE) configuration information to set up a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state associated with a candidate cell; receiving from the UE a measurement report based on measurements of one or more reference signals; and transmitting to the UE a beam indication message to activate the TCI state for communication with the candidate cell.

[00157] Example 17 includes the method of Example 16 or some other example in the present invention, wherein: the configuration information is a server cell configuration that: configures a list of TCI states that includes the TCI state; and associates the TCI state with an additional physical cell identifier (PCI) index associated with a candidate cell PCI.

[00158] Example 18 includes the method of Example 16 or some other example in the present invention, which further comprises: transmitting to the UE a server cell configuration intended to configure a first list of one or more TCI states associated with the server cell; and transmitting to the UE a candidate cell configuration that includes configuration information, wherein the configuration information is intended to configure a second list of TCI states associated with the candidate cell, wherein the second list of TCI states includes the TCI state.

[00159] Example 19 includes the method of Example 16 or some other example of the present invention, which further comprises: transmitting to the UE a common pool configuration that includes configuration information, wherein the configuration information is intended to configure a first list of TCI states associated with Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 52 / 104 43 / 49 a server cell and a second list of TCI states associated with the candidate cell, wherein the second list of TCI states includes the TCI state.

[00160] Example 20 includes a method of Example 19 or of some other example in the present invention which further comprises: transmitting to the UE a server cell configuration and a candidate cell configuration, wherein the server cell configuration and the candidate cell configuration are independent of the common pool configuration.

[00161] Example 21 includes a method of Example 16 or some other example in the present invention, wherein the beam indication message is intended to indicate one or more TCI states associated with at least one candidate cell for activation, wherein the at least one candidate cell includes the candidate cell, and the one or more TCI states include the TCI state.

[00162] Example 22 includes a method of Example 16 or of some other example in the present invention, wherein the beam indication message is intended to indicate one or more reference signal identifiers associated with at least one candidate cell, wherein the at least one candidate cell includes the candidate cell.

[00163] Example 23 includes a method of Example 22 or some other example in the present invention, wherein the beam indication message comprises a TCI state enable / disable media access control (MAC) element with a single candidate cell identifier, associated with the candidate cell, and one or more reference signal identifiers, wherein the one or more identifiers are all associated with the single candidate cell identifier.

[00164] Example 24 includes a method of Example 22 or of some other example in the present invention, wherein the candidate cell is a Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, pp. 53 / 104 44 / 49 first candidate cell, at least one candidate cell includes the first candidate cell and a second candidate cell, the one or more reference signal identifiers include a first reference signal identifier and a second reference signal identifier, and the beam indication message comprises a TCI state enable / disable media access control (MAC) element with: a first candidate cell identifier associated with the first candidate cell; a second candidate cell identifier associated with the second candidate cell; the first reference signal identifier associated with the first candidate cell; and the second reference signal identifier associated with the second candidate cell.

[00165] Example 25 includes a method of Example 23, Example 24, or some other example in the present invention, wherein the TCI state-on / off MAC CE comprises a MAC subheader with an extended logical channel identifier (eLCID) to indicate that the TCI state-on / off MAC CE includes reference signal identifiers corresponding to one or more candidate cells.

[00166] Example 26 includes a method of Example 16 or of some other example in the present invention that further comprises: transmitting to the UE radio resource control (RRC) signaling that includes an indication of a total number of reference signals that can serve as a basis for measurement reporting, wherein: the measurement report includes one or more reference signal identifiers that correspond respectively to one or more reference signals; and the beam indication message includes a bitmap of one or more bits that correspond respectively to one or more reference signal identifiers, and a first bit value is intended to indicate that a reference signal identifier corresponds Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 54 / 104 45 / 49 respondent is indicated for a TCI state activation base.

[00167] Example 27 includes the method of Example 16 or some other example in the present invention, wherein: the one or more reference signals include a plurality of reference signals; each of the plurality of reference signals having a corresponding measurement value; the measurement report includes a plurality of reference signal identifiers respectively associated with the plurality of reference signals; the plurality of reference signal identifiers is ordered within the measurement report based on a descending order of measurement values ​​of the associated reference signals; and the beam indication message includes an indication of a total number of contiguous reference signal identifiers that are indicated for the TCI state activation basis.

[00168] Example 28 includes a method of Example 16 or some other example in the present invention, wherein the beam indication message comprises a downlink control physical channel order (PDCCH) for uplink synchronization, the PDCCH order being to include an identifier associated with the candidate cell, a synchronization signal block (SSB) index and a random access physical channel index (PRACH), and the SSB index is to be used to activate the TCI state.

[00169] Example 29 includes the method of Example 28 or some other example in the present invention, wherein the candidate cell is a first candidate cell, the PDCCH order includes a first block for the identifier, the SSB index and the PRACH index associated with the first candidate cell, and the PDCCH order further includes a second block for an identifier, an SSB index and a PRACH index associated with a second candidate cell.

[00170] Example 30 includes a method from example 16 or some other method. Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 55 / 104 46 / 49 Another example in the present invention further comprises: receiving a radio resource control (RRC) signal to provide a first configuration that associates a contention-free random access (CFRA) preamble and a synchronization signal block (SSB) index to the candidate cell, wherein the beam indication message comprises a downlink control physical channel order (PDCCH) for uplink synchronization, the PDCCH order being to include an index corresponding to the first configuration; and determining the TCI state based on the SSB index of the first configuration.

[00171] Example 31 includes a method of operating a user equipment (UE), wherein the method comprises: receiving, from a server cell, configuration information to configure a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state associated with a candidate cell; transmitting, to the server cell, a measurement report based on measurements of one or more reference signals; selecting a reference signal from among one or more reference signals based on a predefined rule; determining whether the reference signal is associated with the TCI state; and activating the TCI state for communication with the candidate cell based on said selection of the reference signal and the determination that the reference signal is associated with the TCI state.

[00172] Example 32 includes a method of Example 31 or of some other example in the present invention, wherein the selection of the reference signal based on the predefined rule comprises: selecting the reference signal associated with a higher layer 1 reference signal reception power value (L1-RSRP) from among one or more reference signals.

[00173] Another example might include one or more non-transient, computer-readable media comprising instructions for fa Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 56 / 104 47 / 49 zer with which an electronic device, by executing instructions by one or more processors of the electronic device, executes one or more elements of a method described in or related to any of Examples 1 to 32, or of any other method or process described herein.

[00174] Another example might include an apparatus comprising logic, modules, or a set of circuits for performing one or more elements of a method described in or relating to any of Examples 1 to 32, or of any other method or process described herein.

[00175] Another example may include a method, technique, or process as described in or relating to any of Examples 1 through 32, or portions or parts thereof.

[00176] Another example may include an apparatus comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media comprising instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to execute the method, techniques or process as described in or relating to any of Examples 1 to 32, or portions thereof.

[00177] Another example may include a sign as described in or relating to any of examples 1 to 32, or portions or parts thereof.

[00178] Another example may include a datagram, an information element, a packet, a frame, a segment, a PDU, or a message as described in or relating to any of Examples 1 to 32, or portions or parts thereof, or otherwise described in the present invention.

[00179] Another example might include a signal encoded with data as described in or relating to any of examples 1 to Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 57 / 104 48 / 49 32, or portions or parts thereof, or as otherwise described in the present invention.

[00180] Another example may include a signal encoded with a datagram, an IE, a packet, a frame, a segment, a PDU, or a message as described in or relating to any of Examples 1 to 32, or portions or parts thereof, or otherwise described in the present invention.

[00181] Another example might include an electromagnetic signal carrying computer-readable instructions, wherein the execution of the computer-readable instructions by one or more processors is intended to cause the one or more processors to execute the method, techniques, or process as described in or relating to any of Examples 1 to 32, or portions thereof.

[00182] Another example might include a computer program comprising instructions, wherein the execution of the program by a processing element is intended to cause the processing element to execute the method, techniques, or process as described in or relating to any of Examples 1 through 32, or portions thereof.

[00183] Another example might include a signal on a wireless network, as shown and described here.

[00184] Another example might include a method of communication on a wireless network, as shown and described in the present invention.

[00185] Another example might include a system for providing wireless communication, as shown and described in the present invention.

[00186] Another example might include a device for providing wireless communication, as shown and described in the present invention. Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, pp. 58 / 104 49 / 49

[00187] Any of the examples described above may be combined with any other example (or combination of examples), unless explicitly stated otherwise. The above description of one or more implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of aspects to the precise form described. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired through practice of various aspects.

[00188] Although the above aspects have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above invention is fully understood. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to encompass such variations and modifications. Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, pp. 59 / 104

Claims

1 / 7 CLAIMS 1. A method characterized by comprising: processing configuration information received from a server cell, the configuration information being used to configure a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state associated with a candidate cell; processing a beam indication message received from the server cell; and activating the TCI state associated with the candidate cell based on the beam indication message.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that: the configuration information is a server cell configuration that: configures a list of TCI states that includes the TCI state; and associates the TCI state with an additional physical cell identifier (PCI) index associated with a candidate cell PCI.

3. A method according to claim 1, further characterized by comprising: processing a server cell configuration that is to configure a first list of TCI states associated with the server cell; and processing a candidate cell configuration that includes configuration information, wherein the configuration information is to configure a second list of TCI states associated with the candidate cell, wherein the second list of TCI states includes the TCI state.

4. Method according to claim 1, characterized by further comprising: processing a common pool configuration that includes configuration information, wherein the configuration information Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 86 / 104 2 / 7 is for configuring a first list of TCI states associated with the server cell and a second list of TCI states associated with the candidate cell, wherein the second list of TCI states includes the TCI state.

5. A method according to claim 4, further characterized by comprising: processing a server cell configuration and a candidate cell configuration, wherein the server cell configuration and the candidate cell configuration are independent of the common pool configuration.

6. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the beam indication message is to indicate one or more TCI states associated with at least one candidate cell for activation, wherein the at least one candidate cell includes the candidate cell, and the one or more TCI states include the TCI state, and wherein the method further comprises: switching, based on a cell switching command, to communication with the candidate cell with the TCI state after said processing of the beam indication message received from the server cell.

7. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the beam indication message comprises a media access control (MAC) element.

8. Method according to claim 1, characterized by further comprising: processing an indication, received in radio resource control (RRC) signaling, of a total number of reference signals that can serve as a measurement report basis; ensuring that the one or more reference signals do not exceed the total number of reference signals; and generating the measurement report to include one or more reference signal identifiers that correspond respectively to one or more reference signals, wherein the beam indication message includes a bitmap of one or more bits that correspond respectively to one or more reference signal identifiers, and a first bit value is to indicate that a corresponding reference signal identifier is indicated for a TCI state activation basis.

9. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that one or more reference signals include a plurality of reference signals, each of which has a corresponding measurement value, and the method further comprises: generating the measurement report to include a plurality of reference signal identifiers respectively associated with the plurality of reference signals, wherein the plurality of reference signal identifiers is ordered within the measurement report based on a descending order of measurement values ​​of the associated reference signals;and wherein the beam indication message includes an indication of a total number of contiguous reference signal identifiers that are indicated for the TCI state activation base starting with a reference signal identifier associated with a higher measurement value of the total number of contiguous reference signal identifiers.

10. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the beam indication message comprises a downlink control physical channel order (PDCCH) for uplink synchronization, the PDCCH order being to include an identifier associated with the candidate cell, a synchronization signal block index (SSB) and a random access physical channel index (PRACH), and the method further comprises: determining the TCI state based on the SSB index.

11. A method according to claim 1, further characterized by comprising: processing a radio resource control (RRC) signal that provides a first configuration associating a contention-free random access (CFRA) preamble and a synchronization signal block index (SSB) to the candidate cell, wherein the beam indication message comprises a downlink control physical channel order (PDCCH) for uplink synchronization, the PDCCH order being to include an index corresponding to the first configuration; and determining the TCI state based on the SSB index of the first configuration.

12. Computer-readable media characterized by having instructions that, when executed, cause the processing circuitry to: generate configuration information to be transmitted to a user device (UD), with the configuration information being used to configure a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state associated with a candidate cell; and generate a beam indication message to be transmitted to the UD to activate the TCI state associated with the candidate cell.

13. Computer-readable media according to claim 12, characterized in that: the configuration information is a server cell configuration that: configures a list of TCI states that includes the TCI state; and associates the TCI state with an additional physical cell identifier (PCI) index associated with a candidate cell PCI.

14. Computer-readable media according to claim 12, characterized in that the instructions, when executed, further cause the processing circuitry to: generate a server cell configuration that must be transmitted to the UE to configure a first list of one or more TCI states associated with the server cell; and generate a candidate cell configuration that includes configuration information, wherein the configuration information is to configure a second list of TCI states associated with the candidate cell, wherein the second list of TCI states includes the TCI state.

15. Computer-readable media according to claim 12, characterized in that the instructions, when executed, cause the processing circuitry to: generate a common pool configuration that includes configuration information, wherein the configuration information is for configuring a first list of TCI states associated with a server cell and a second list of TCI states associated with the candidate cell, wherein the second list of TCI states includes the TCI state, wherein the common pool configuration is independent of a server cell configuration and a candidate cell configuration.

16. Computer-readable media according to claim 12, characterized in that the beam indication message is to activate a plurality of TCI states associated with the candidate cell.

17. Computer-readable media according to claim 12, characterized in that the beam indication message Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 90 / 104 6 / 7 is to indicate one or more reference signal identifiers associated with at least one candidate cell, wherein the at least one candidate cell includes the candidate cell.

18. Computer-readable media according to claim 12, characterized in that the instructions, when executed, cause the processing circuitry to: generate radio resource control (RRC) signaling that includes an indication of a total number of reference signals that can serve as a measurement report basis, wherein: the measurement report includes one or more reference signal identifiers that correspond respectively to one or more reference signals; and the beam indication message includes a bitmap of one or more bits that correspond respectively to one or more reference signal identifiers, and a first bit value is to indicate that a corresponding reference signal identifier is indicated for a TCI state activation basis.

19. Baseband processor characterized by comprising: a set of processing circuits for: processing configuration information to configure a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) state associated with a candidate cell; generating, for transmission to a server cell, a measurement report based on measurements of one or more reference signals; selecting a reference signal from among one or more reference signals based on a predefined rule; determining whether the reference signal is associated with the TCI state; and activating the TCI state for communication with the candidate cell based on said selection of the reference signal and the determination that the reference signal is associated with the TCI state.

20. Baseband processor, according to claim 19, characterized in that, to select the reference signal based on the predefined rule, the processing circuitry is for: selecting the reference signal associated with a higher layer 1 reference signal reception power value (L1-RSRP) from among one or more reference signals.

21. Baseband processor characterized by comprising: a set of processing circuits for: processing configuration information to configure a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state associated with a candidate cell; receiving a beam indication message; and activating the TCI state associated with the candidate cell based on the beam indication message.

22. Baseband processor, according to claim 21, characterized in that the configuration information is associated with a candidate for a lower-layer enabled mobility (LTM) operation. Petition 870250091125, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, pp. 92 / 104

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