Layer 1 / layer 2 triggered mobility (LTM) cell handover procedure

Abstract

In an example, a method performed by a User Equipment (UE) for performing a Layer 1 / Layer 2 triggered Mobility (LTM) cell handover procedure is provided. The method includes receiving one or more LTM candidate cell configurations, and receiving an LTM cell handover command including an indication of one of the one or more LTM candidate cell configurations. The method further includes applying the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration to switch to a cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration, and in response to applying the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration, transmitting signaling on the cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration, where the signaling indicates that the cell switching procedure is complete.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Examples of this disclosure relate to a Layer 1 / Layer 2 triggered Mobility (LTM) cell handover process, including, for example, LTM candidate cell configuration. Background Technology

[0002] In 3GPP Release 18, a work item entitled "Further NR Mobility Enhancement" was agreed upon. This work item includes the technical field of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility. According to the work item description WID (RP-223520, 3GPP Work Item Description: Further NR Mobility Enhancement, MediaTek Inc, Apple, 3GPP TSG RAN Meeting #98-e, eConference, December 12-16, 2022), when a UE moves from the coverage area of ​​one cell to the coverage area of ​​another, a serving cell change needs to be performed at some point. The current serving cell change is triggered by L3 measurements and is accomplished via a synchronized reconfiguration triggered by RRC signaling, which changes the PCell and PSCell, and releases and adds SCells where applicable. All cases involve a full L2 (and L1) reset, resulting in longer latency, greater overhead, and longer downtime than beam-switching mobility. The goal of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility is to enable serving cell changes via L1 / L2 signaling to reduce latency, overhead, and downtime.

[0003] In this work project, according to WID, the following are included as one of the work objectives: 1. To specify mechanisms and procedures for inter-cell mobility based on L1 / L2 to reduce mobility latency: Configuring and maintaining multiple candidate cells to allow for the rapid application of configurations [RAN2, RAN3] for candidate cells. Dynamic handover mechanism between candidate serving cells (including SpCell and SCell) for potential application scenarios based on L1 / L2 signaling [RAN2, RAN1] L1 enhancements for inter-cell beam management include L1 measurement and reporting, as well as beam indication [RAN1, RAN2]. - Note 1: Early involvement in RAN2 is necessary, including further clarification of the potential interaction between this project bullet and the previous project symbol. Scheduled advance management [RAN1, RAN2] The CU-DU interface signaling supports L1 / L2 mobility, if required [RAN3]. Note 2: FR2-specific enhancements are not excluded, if any.

[0004] Note 3: The process based on L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility is applicable to the following scenarios: Independent, CA, and NR-DC scenarios with serving cell changes within a CG. Intra-DU and intra-CU DU configurations (applicable to standalone and CA: no new RAN interfaces expected) Both within and between frequencies Both FR1 and FR2 The source and target cells can be synchronous or asynchronous.

[0005] Within 3GPP, discussions have begun regarding solutions for L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility (sometimes referred to as LTM L1 / L2 triggered mobility or lower-layer triggered mobility).

[0006] The basic principle of L1 / L2 triggered mobility (LTM) is that the UE is pre-configured by the network with the RRC configuration for each LTM candidate cell, sometimes referred to as the LTM candidate cell configuration. Such an LTM candidate cell configuration can be an RRCReconfiguration message (e.g., incremental signaling associated with a reference configuration or the UE's current configuration) or one or more IE / fields / parameters such as CellGroupConfig. The UE performs L1 measurements (e.g., CSI measurements, such as SS-RSRP, L1 RSRP for each SSB) on these LTM candidate cells and transmits the corresponding L1 measurement reports to the network (e.g., on PUCCH and / or PUSCH). The network then triggers an LTM cell handover to one of these LTM candidate cells in the UE by transmitting an LTM cell handover command (such as MAC CE) to the UE, which then connects to and switches to the RRC configuration of that specific LTM candidate cell. The following has also been agreed upon for LTM cell handover: The UE needs to be instructed (in some way) to arrive at the target cell. There are currently some challenges. For example, many details of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility procedures remain open in 3GPP. This also applies to the details of the so-called LTM cell handover procedure. So far, RAN2 and RAN1 have concluded that an LTM cell handover command in the form of a MAC control element MAC CE is received by the UE and triggers the LTM cell handover procedure. This command also contains the necessary information for the UE to perform the cell handover, including an indication of the LTM candidate cell configuration. When the UE receives this command, it performs the LTM cell handover, and the UE's destination cell (i.e., the candidate cell indicated in the LTM cell handover command) needs to be indicated (in some way).

[0007] One issue is that there are no regulations specifying how, under what conditions, and when the UE should indicate its arrival to the target cell. In particular, since the LTM cell handover command is received from the serving cell by the UE's MAC entity and triggers both MAC and RRC actions at the UE, there are no regulations on how the UE should indicate its arrival, whether it needs to generate something, transmit, etc. Figure 1 The latest signaling stream of the inter-DU situation captured in TS 38.401 is shown. Summary of the Invention

[0008] Certain aspects of this disclosure and its embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. For example, to address the aforementioned challenges, examples of this disclosure include a method for a user equipment (UE) to perform an LTM cell handover procedure, comprising receiving at least one LTM candidate cell configuration, and further receiving an LTM cell handover command (e.g., MAC CE) from a source network node (e.g., via an S-DU, CU) including an indication of the LTM candidate cell configuration (e.g., an LTM candidate configuration ID), applying the received indicated LTM candidate cell configuration (which may be an incremental configuration relative to the current UE configuration, a complete LTM configuration, or an LTM reference configuration), and sending an LTM cell handover completion signaling to a target candidate cell based on one or more conditions.

[0009] One aspect of this disclosure provides a method executed by a user equipment (UE) for performing a Layer 1 / Layer 2 triggered mobility LTM cell handover procedure. The method includes receiving one or more LTM candidate cell configurations, and receiving an LTM cell handover command including an indication of one or more LTM candidate cell configurations. The method further includes applying the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration to handover to a cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration, and in response to applying the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration, transmitting signaling on the cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration, wherein the signaling indicates that the cell handover procedure is complete.

[0010] Another aspect of this disclosure provides a method executed by a network node for inducing a user equipment (UE) to perform a Layer 1 / Layer 2 triggered mobility LTM cell handover procedure, wherein the network node is associated with a serving cell of the UE. The method includes sending one or more LTM candidate cell configurations to the UE, and sending an LTM cell handover command to the UE including an indication of one or more LTM candidate target cell configurations. The method further includes receiving signaling from the UE on a cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration, wherein the signaling indicates that the cell handover procedure is complete.

[0011] Another aspect of this disclosure provides a method performed by a network node, wherein the network node is associated with a cell that is associated with an L1 / L2 triggered mobility LTM candidate cell configuration for an LTM cell handover procedure for a user equipment (UE). The method includes receiving signaling from the UE on the cell associated with the LTM candidate cell configuration, wherein the signaling indicates that the cell handover procedure has been completed.

[0012] Another aspect of this disclosure provides an apparatus in a user equipment (UE) for performing a Layer 1 / Layer 2 triggered mobility LTM cell handover procedure. The apparatus includes a processor and a memory. The memory contains instructions executable by the processor, enabling the apparatus to operate to receive one or more LTM candidate target cell configurations, receive an LTM cell handover command including an indication of one or more LTM candidate cell configurations, apply the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration to handover to a cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration, and, in response to applying the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration, transmit signaling on the cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration, wherein the signaling indicates that the cell handover procedure is complete.

[0013] Another aspect of this disclosure provides an apparatus in a network node for causing a user equipment (UE) to perform a Layer 1 / Layer 2 triggered mobility LTM cell handover procedure, wherein the network node is associated with a serving cell of the UE. The apparatus includes a processor and a memory. The memory contains instructions executable by the processor, enabling the apparatus to be operated to send one or more LTM candidate target cell configurations to the UE, send an LTM cell handover command to the UE including an indication of one or more LTM candidate target cell configurations, and receive signaling from the UE on a cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration, wherein the signaling indicates that the cell handover procedure is complete.

[0014] An additional aspect of this disclosure provides an apparatus in a network node, wherein the network node is associated with a cell, the cell being associated with an L1 / L2 triggered mobility LTM candidate cell configuration for an LTM cell handover procedure for a user equipment (UE). The apparatus includes a processor and a memory. The memory contains instructions executable by the processor, enabling the apparatus to operate to receive signaling from the UE on the cell associated with the LTM candidate cell configuration, wherein the signaling indicates that the cell handover procedure is complete.

[0015] Another aspect of this disclosure provides an apparatus in a user equipment (UE) for performing a Layer 1 / Layer 2 triggered mobility LTM cell handover procedure. The apparatus is configured to receive one or more LTM candidate target cell configurations, receive an LTM cell handover command including an indication of one or more LTM candidate cell configurations, apply the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration to handover to a cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration, and, in response to applying the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration, transmit signaling on the cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration, wherein the signaling indicates that the cell handover procedure is complete.

[0016] Another aspect of this disclosure provides an apparatus in a network node for causing a user equipment (UE) to perform a Layer 1 / Layer 2 triggered mobility LTM cell handover procedure, wherein the network node is associated with the UE's serving cell. The apparatus is configured to send one or more LTM candidate target cell configurations to the UE, send an LTM cell handover command to the UE including an indication of one or more LTM candidate target cell configurations, and receive signaling from the UE on a cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration, wherein the signaling indicates that the cell handover procedure is complete.

[0017] Another aspect of this disclosure provides a device in a network node, wherein the network node is associated with a cell that is associated with an L1 / L2 triggered mobility LTM candidate cell configuration for an LTM cell handover procedure for a user equipment (UE). The device is configured to receive signaling from the UE on the cell associated with the LTM candidate cell configuration, wherein the signaling indicates that the cell handover procedure is complete. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To better understand the embodiments of this disclosure, and to illustrate how this disclosure may be implemented, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings by way of example only, wherein: Figure 1 The latest signaling flow captured in TS 38.401 shows the situation between DUs; Figure 2 A method performed by a wireless device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated; Figure 3A method performed by a network node according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated; Figure 4 A method performed by a second core network entity according to an embodiment of this disclosure is illustrated; Figure 5 An example illustrating the system architecture; Figure 6 An example of a signaling flow in a method according to the present disclosure is shown; Figure 7 An example of a signaling flow is shown in a method according to an example of this disclosure for a C-DU receiving an LTM cell handover completion signaling; Figure 8 An example of the signaling flow in a method according to an example of this disclosure is shown for a situation where the C-DU has not received LTM cell handover completion signaling; Figure 9 Examples of communication systems according to some embodiments are shown; Figure 10 A UE according to some embodiments is shown; Figure 11 A network node according to some embodiments is shown; Figure 12 This is a block diagram of the host based on the various aspects described in this document; Figure 13 This is a block diagram illustrating a virtualized environment in which the functionality implemented by some embodiments can be virtualized; Figure 14 A communication diagram is shown, illustrating communication between a host and a UE via a network node through a partial wireless connection, according to some embodiments; and Figure 15 A network node according to another embodiment is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0019] Some embodiments of the ideas contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art. This disclosure relates to the term "L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility" as used in the description of work items in 3GPP, although it may be used interchangeably with the terms L1 / L2 mobility, L1 mobility, L1-based mobility, L1 / L2-centric inter-cell mobility, L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility, L1 / L2-triggered mobility, lower-layer triggered mobility, or LTM. The basic principle is that the UE receives lower-layer signaling from the network that instructs the UE of a change (or handover or activation) of its serving cell (e.g., a change of PCell, from a source PCell to a target PCell). This lower-layer signaling is a message / signaling of a lower-layer protocol, which may be referred to as an L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility execution command or an LTM cell handover command. A change of serving cell (e.g., a change of PCell) may also result in a change of Scell(s) within the same cell group, for example, in the case where a command triggers the UE to change to another cell group configuration of the same type (e.g., another MCG configuration). Before the UE receives the LTM cell handover command, the UE is configured by the network with one or more LTM candidate cell configurations (for example, upon receiving an RRC reconfiguration message, it has at least one LTM candidate cell configuration). The LTM candidate cell configuration may include parameters in the IECellGroupConfig for the LTM candidate cell and / or in the embedded RRC reconfiguration for the LTM candidate cell.

[0020] The term LTM cell handover process refers to the process by which a UE uses L1 / L2 triggered mobility (LTM) to hand over (or change) its cell from a source cell to a target cell (which may be referred to as an LTM candidate cell or a neighboring cell). In the context of L1 / L2 triggered mobility (LTM), the LTM cell handover process may also be referred to as L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility execution, LTM execution, dynamic handover, LTM handover, (LTM) cell handover, (LTM) serving cell change, or (LTM) cell change. In the context of the examples in this disclosure, handover to an LTM candidate cell configuration includes the UE considering an LTM candidate cell as its new special cell (SpCell), such as a PCCell when LTM is configured for a primary cell group (MCG) and / or a PSCell when LTM is configured for a secondary cell group (SCG); or, changing its SpCell from its current pCell to an LTM candidate cell.

[0021] Even when the terms handover or cell change are used, this can include handover or change of the entire cell group configuration, including changes to SpCell (e.g., changes to PCCell or PSCell) and changes to SCells of the cell group (e.g., the addition, modification, and / or release of one or more SCells).

[0022] This disclosure relates to LTM candidate cells, which are cells configured for a UE when L1 / L2-triggered mobility is configured. These are cells that the UE can move to during an LTM cell handover process upon receiving an LTM cell handover command. Such cells may also be referred to as candidate cells(s), candidates, mobility candidates, non-serving cells, supplementary cells, target candidate cells, target candidates, etc. An LTM candidate cell is a cell for which the UE can perform measurements (e.g., CSI measurements), enabling the UE to report these measurements and allowing the network to make informed decisions about which beam (e.g., TCI state) and / or cell the UE should hand over to. An LTM candidate cell can be a candidate for a target PCell or PSCell or a cell group's SCell (e.g., MCG SCell or SCG SCell).

[0023] This disclosure relates to at least one LTM candidate cell configuration, and that the UE has received at least one LTM candidate cell configuration. This is sometimes also referred to as the configuration of the LTM candidate cell, which can be, for example, an RRC configuration encapsulated in an RRC reconfiguration message received by the UE when L1 / L2-triggered mobility is configured. The LTM candidate cell configuration includes the configuration that the UE needs to begin operating accordingly when performing an LTM cell handover procedure on the LTM candidate cell, for example, upon receiving an LTM cell handover command for the LTM candidate cell, where the LTM candidate cell becomes the target cell and the current (new) SpCell or SCell in the serving frequency. The LTM candidate cell configuration includes parameters of the serving cell (or multiple serving cells, such as a cell group), including one or more parameter groups, such as the RRCReconfiguration message, IE CellGroupConfig, or IESpCellConfig (or IE SCellConfig in the case of a secondary cell). In one example, an LTM candidate cell configuration may include one or more of the following: i) a PCell configuration and one or more SCell configurations for a primary cell group (MCG); ii) a PSCell configuration and one or more SCell configurations for a secondary cell group (SCG). When referring to LTM candidate cell configuration, the terms (LTM) candidate configuration, LTM configuration, (LTM) candidate target cell configuration, and (LTM) target candidate (cell) configuration may be used interchangeably.

[0024] The actual LTM candidate cell configuration and the exact content and / or structure of this IE and / or embedded message can be referred to as the RRC model for candidate configuration, or simply the RRC model. LTM candidate cell configuration includes the configuration that the UE needs to operate accordingly when performing (implementing) L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility implementation on an LTM candidate cell, after receiving a lower-layer signaling (MAC CE) indicating L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility to the LTM candidate cell (which becomes the target cell and the current (new) PCell or SCell in the serving frequency), or after receiving a lower-layer signaling (MAC CE) indicating L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility configuration of the LTM candidate cell indicated by a candidate configuration identifier, identifier, or index (sometimes also represented as candidate configuration ID). A UE can be configured with multiple LTM candidate cell configurations; therefore, candidate DUs (C-DUs) are generated and multiple configurations are sent to the CU. The actual LTM candidate cell configuration received by the UE during LTM configuration can be incremental signaling applied on top of a reference configuration, such that the actual configuration the UE will use in the LTM candidate cell during LTM cell handover is a combination of the LTM candidate cell configuration and the reference configuration (e.g., signaled to the UE separately by the network). That combination of the LTM candidate cell configuration and the reference configuration used by the UE can also be referred to as the complete LTM candidate cell configuration. For the context of the examples in this disclosure, unless otherwise stated, this complete LTM candidate cell configuration can also be considered as the LTM candidate cell configuration.

[0025] The term "beam" can correspond to the spatial direction in which a signal is transmitted (e.g., by a network node) or received (e.g., by a UE), or to a spatial filter applied to the transmitted or received signal. Therefore, transmitting signals with different beams can correspond to transmitting signals in different spatial directions. When the text refers to "selected beam," it can refer to a beam index and / or a reference signal (RS) index or identifier, such as a synchronization signal block (SSB) index or a CSI-RS resource identifier. Therefore, selecting a beam can correspond to selecting an SSB associated with an SSB index. Alternatively, selecting a beam can correspond to selecting a CSI-RS associated with a CSI-RS resource identifier.

[0026] This disclosure relates to "complete LTM cell handover signaling". In some examples, the UE can use this complete signaling to indicate to the network that the target cell's configuration is currently in use, the UE is able to process and decode the target cell's configuration without any errors, and the LTM cell handover process is successful. Here, success means that the UE is able to switch to the new cell according to the received LTM cell handover command and is ready to receive and transmit services through the new source cell (e.g., the target cell indicated in the LTM cell handover command).

[0027] Assuming the signaling is an RRCReconfigurationComplete message, in some examples, the UE can generate the complete configuration for each LTM candidate by applying the LTM candidate increment to the reference configuration. This results in the generation of RRCReconfigurationComplete, which is not transmitted until the UE receives an LTM cell handover command indicating the LTM candidate cell.

[0028] Assuming the signaling is an RRCReconfigurationComplete message, in some examples, the UE can generate the complete configuration for each LTM candidate by applying LTM candidate increments to a reference configuration. This results in the generation of an RRCReconfigurationComplete message, which is transmitted only when the UE receives an LTM cell handover command indicating the LTM candidate cell, but only the first time the UE applies this message to a candidate. The UE needs to maintain UE variables indicating this state, such as completeTransmitted='true', which starts as false during configuration. If the LTM candidate is modified, it will become false again.

[0029] Assuming the signaling is an uplink (UL) MAC control element (MAC CE), in some examples, the UE can generate a complete configuration for each LTM candidate by applying the LTM candidate increment to the reference configuration, such that when the UE receives an LTM cell handover command indicating an LTM candidate cell, it skips the generation of RRCReconfigurationComplete (except in 5.3.5.3) and transmits the LTM cell handover command.

[0030] In the example method of this disclosure, the UE first processes the received LTM cell handover command, then applies the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration, and then it sends an LTM cell handover completion signaling, such as an RRCReconfigurationComplete message, on the new cell.

[0031] In the example method, when the UE receives at least one LTM candidate cell configuration, such as in the LTM configuration, the UE creates / generates / builds LTM cell handover completion signaling, but only transmits the signaling when the UE receives an LTM cell handover command indicating the LTM candidate cell configuration.

[0032] In the example method, when the UE receives at least one LTM candidate cell configuration, for example, in the LTM configuration, the UE creates / generates / builds LTM cell handover completion signaling, but only transmits the signaling when the UE first applies the LTM candidate cell configuration to a given LTM candidate cell. That is, subsequent LTM cell handovers to the LTM candidate cell will not trigger the UE to transmit LTM cell handover completion signaling.

[0033] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantages. For example, when a UE receives an LTM cell handover command, examples of this disclosure enable the UE to perform an LTM cell handover procedure and send a positive acknowledgment (referred herein to as LTM cell handover completion signaling, such as RRCReconfigurationComplete) to the network (e.g., a candidate DU), even if an LTM cell handover completion signaling may have already been generated when the UE receives the LTM candidate configuration. This ensures that the network knows that the received LTM configuration is applied to the configuration used by the UE in the target cell, rather than the configuration used in the source cell.

[0034] Examples of this disclosure can also enable a UE to use the target cell configuration to determine when to transmit LTM cell handover completion signaling, such as an RRCReconfigurationComplete message.

[0035] Furthermore, the advantages provided by at least some of the example embodiments ensure that the UE transmits LTM cell handover completion signaling, such as an RRCReconfigurationComplete message, to the network during or after the LTM cell handover process, rather than when it receives the LTM candidate cell configuration. This can, for example, prevent the network from prematurely receiving messages related to the UE applying the LTM candidate cell (e.g., when the UE receives the LTM candidate cell configuration instead of when it performs an LTM cell handover). Therefore, the examples of this disclosure can ensure that the protocol state in the UE and the network is synchronized, i.e., the network is aware of the current UE configuration.

[0036] Figure 2 A method 200 according to a specific embodiment is described, such as a method performed by a user equipment (UE) for performing a Layer 1 / Layer 2 triggered mobility (LTM) cell handover procedure. Method 200 can be performed by a UE or a radio device (e.g., as referred to separately later). Figure 9 and 10This method is performed by the described UE QQ112 or UE QQ200. In step 202, method 200 begins by receiving one or more LTM candidate cell configurations. Step 204 of the method includes receiving an LTM cell handover command including an indication of one or more LTM candidate cell configurations. Step 206 includes applying the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration to handover to a cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration. Step 208 includes, in response to applying the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration, sending signaling on the cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration, wherein the signaling indicates that the cell handover process is complete.

[0037] In some examples, method 200 may include generating or preparing signaling in response to receiving an LTM cell handover command; or after applying an indicated LTM candidate cell configuration; or after the UE has synchronized with the cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration; or in response to an indication from the MAC layer. For example, method 200 includes generating or preparing signaling in response to an indication from the MAC layer, which may indicate, for example, that the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration has been applied and / or that the UE has synchronized with the cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration.

[0038] In some examples, method 200 may include performing a random access procedure on the cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration after applying the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration. In some examples, the messages transmitted during the random access procedure (e.g., Msg1, Msg3, or MsgA) may be signaling indicating the completion of the cell handover procedure, although in other examples, the signaling may be other signaling. In some examples, signaling may be sent in step 208 of method 200 after the random access procedure is completed and / or after receiving a random access response and / or contention resolution information (e.g., Msg2, Msg4, or MsgB) on the cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration. In other examples, the signaling may include one or more Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages and / or one or more RRCReconfigurationComplete messages and / or one or more MAC Control Elements (CE) and / or Layer 1 (L1) signaling.

[0039] In some examples, method 200 may include generating a complete LTM candidate cell configuration based on the indicated LTM cell configuration (which may be, for example, an incomplete LTM cell configuration) and a reference configuration. Therefore, in some examples, applying the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration in step 206 of method 200 may include applying the complete LTM candidate cell configuration.

[0040] In some examples, method 200 may include, in response to receiving one or more LTM candidate cell configurations in step 202 of method 200, sending signaling on the serving cell and / or the cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration to indicate that the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration has been received and / or decoded and / or applied. Alternatively, in some examples, method 200 may include, in response to receiving one or more LTM candidate cell configurations in step 202 of method 200, sending signaling on the serving cell and / or the corresponding cell associated with each of the one or more LTM candidate cell configurations to indicate that the LTM candidate cell configuration has been received and / or decoded and / or applied.

[0041] In some examples, one or more LTM candidate cell configuration and / or LTM cell handover commands may be received from the serving cell and / or network nodes associated with the serving cell.

[0042] In some examples, signaling on the cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration can be sent to the network node associated with the cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration in step 208 of method 200. That is, for example, the network node can serve or provide the cell.

[0043] In some examples, the application of the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration in step 206 of method 200 can be performed by the RRC layer. For example, the RRC layer can apply the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration in response to an indication from a layer lower than the RRC layer. In some examples, the indication from a layer lower than the RRC layer can identify the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration. In some examples, after applying the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration, the RRC layer can send an indication to a layer lower than the RRC layer.

[0044] In some examples, the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration, or each of one or more LTM candidate cell configurations, may include one or more of the following non-limiting examples: Cell group configuration for primary cell group (MCG) or secondary cell group (SCG); Serving cell configuration for SpCell, PCell, PSCell, or SCell; Bandwidth configuration in BWP; RRCReconfiguration message; Measurement configuration; Radio bearer configuration; UE identifier or C-RNTI; System information; Timer configuration; Another candidate cell configuration; Instructions for the UE to perform full configuration; Instructions used by the UE to perform incremental configuration; Reference configuration; and / or Instructions on whether to perform L2 reset, MAC reset, partial MAC reset, full MAC reset, RLC rebuild and / or PDCP recovery or rebuild.

[0045] Figure 3 A method 300 according to a specific embodiment is described, such as a method performed by a network node for causing a user equipment (UE) to perform a Layer 1 / Layer 2 triggered mobility (LTM) cell handover procedure, wherein the network node is associated with the UE's serving cell. Method 300 can be performed by a network node (e.g., as referred to separately later). Figure 9 and 11 The method is performed by the described network node QQ110 or network node QQ300. In step 302, method 300 begins by sending one or more LTM candidate cell configurations to the UE. Step 304 of method 300 includes sending an LTM cell handover command to the UE including an indication of one or more LTM candidate target cell configurations. Step 306 includes receiving signaling from the UE on the cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration, wherein the signaling indicates that the cell handover process is complete. According to claim 17, the signaling includes one or more RRC messages and / or one or more RRCReconfigurationComplete messages and / or one or more MAC control elements (CE) and / or Layer 1 L1 signaling.

[0046] Figure 4 A method 400 according to a specific embodiment is described, such as a method performed by a network node, wherein the network node is associated with a cell that is associated with a mobility LTM candidate cell configuration triggered by L1 / L2 during an LTM cell handover procedure for a user equipment (UE). Method 400 may be performed by a network node (e.g., as referred to separately later). Figure 9 and 11The method is performed by the network node QQ110 or network node QQ300 described. In step 402, method 400 begins by receiving signaling from the UE on the cell associated with the LTM candidate cell configuration, wherein the signaling indicates that the cell handover process is complete.

[0047] In some examples, signaling can be received in step 402 after the UE has synchronized with the cell associated with the LTM candidate cell configuration. The signaling may include, for example, one or more RRC messages and / or one or more RRCReconfigurationComplete messages and / or one or more MAC control elements (CEs) and / or Layer 1 L1 signaling. In some examples, method 400 may also include receiving signaling in response to an indication to send signaling on the cell or an LTM candidate cell configuration associated with an indication to send signaling on the cell.

[0048] Specific example embodiments will now be described.

[0049] Figure 5 An example of a system architecture including entities involved in the examples of this disclosure is illustrated. User equipment (UE) 1001 is a wireless terminal such as a cellular smartphone, sometimes connected to a source network node 1002 via a wireless interface 1004 and sometimes connected to a target network node 1003 via a wireless interface 1005.

[0050] In the context of a UE mobility procedure (such as an LTM cell handover procedure), source network node 1002 (sometimes referred to as the serving network node) controls source cell 1009 (sometimes referred to as the serving cell or special cell (SpCell)). Target network node 1003 controls target cell 1010 (sometimes referred to as the neighboring cell, candidate cell, or LTM candidate cell). Each of source network node 1002 and target network node 1003 can be a base station (such as, for example, a gNB) or, for example, a distributed unit (sometimes referred to as a gNB-DU or DU) in the case of a distributed CU / DU RAN architecture. Therefore, source network node 1002 corresponds to source DU S-DU (sometimes referred to as the serving DU), and target network node 1003 corresponds to target DU T-DU (sometimes referred to as the neighboring DU or candidate DU C-DU). Both source network node 1002 and target network node 1003 are connected to a third network node 1006, sometimes referred to as the serving network node. The source network node and the target network node can be the same network node. In some scenarios, the source network node 1002 and the target network node 1003 can be connected to different third network nodes 1006.

[0051] Furthermore, in the case of a distributed CU / DU RAN architecture, for example, the third network node 1006 can be a central unit CU (sometimes referred to as a serving CU, called gNB-CU, CU, gNB-CU-CP, or gNB-CU-UP) or a core network node (such as a user plane function UPF or access and mobility management function AMF).

[0052] In an example according to this disclosure, a method for a user equipment (UE) to transmit LTM cell handover completion signaling (e.g., RRCReconfigurationComplete or UL MAC CE) includes: receiving at least one LTM candidate cell configuration; further receiving from a source network node an LTM cell handover command (e.g., MACCE) including an indication of the LTM candidate cell configuration; applying (or initiating use, switching to) the received indicated LTM candidate cell configuration; and, in response, sending LTM cell handover completion signaling according to one or more rules. In some examples, upon receiving the LTM candidate cell configuration from a source node (e.g., CU and / or S-DU), the UE may generate (e.g., construct, create, build, set its contents) LTM cell handover completion signaling. In one example, the generation of LTM cell handover completion signaling is included in the received LTM candidate cell configuration. Therefore, the LTM candidate cell configuration will configure / instruct the UE to also generate LTM cell handover completion signaling. In another example, the triggering of the generation of LTM cell handover completion signaling is the reception of the LTM candidate cell configuration itself (regardless of whether the UE processes the contents of the LTM candidate cell configuration). In other words, in response to receiving the LTM candidate cell configuration, the UE generates an LTM cell handover completion signaling. In one example, when the UE receives the LTM candidate cell configuration (e.g., an RRCReconfiguration message), the UE generates a complete LTM candidate cell configuration by applying the LTM candidate cell configuration to the reference configuration (e.g., by performing the actions specified in 3GPP 38.331, 5.3.5.3). When the UE generates a complete LTM candidate cell configuration, the UE also generates an LTM cell handover completion signaling (e.g., RRCReconfigurationComplete), but the UE only transmits this signaling when it receives an LTM cell handover command. This occurs when the UE is configured with K LTM candidate cells, generates K complete LTM candidate cell configurations, and also generates K LTM cell handover completion signaling. When a UE receives an LTM cell handover command indicating one of the LTM candidate cells, the UE applies the already generated complete LTM candidate cell configuration (associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell), and after it hands over to the LTM candidate cell, it transmits the generated LTM cell handover completion signaling to the LTM candidate cell.

[0053] On the network side, in some examples, the C-DU can receive LTM cell handover completion signaling (e.g., RRCReconfigurationComplete message) and transmit it to the CU in the UL RRC message transmission. It may also transmit an access success message to the CU including the target cell ID of the LTM candidate cell, such as... Figure 6 As shown in the signaling flow, Figure 6 An example of a signaling flow in a method according to this disclosure is shown.

[0054] In some examples, the UE can generate LTM cell handover completion signaling upon receiving an LTM cell handover command. In one example, the trigger for generating the LTM cell handover completion signaling is included in the received LTM cell handover command. Therefore, the LTM cell handover command will configure / instruct the UE to also generate LTM cell handover completion signaling. In another example, the trigger for generating the LTM cell handover completion signaling is the receipt of the LTM cell handover command itself (regardless of whether the UE processes the content of the LTM cell handover command). In yet another example, when the UE receives an LTM candidate cell configuration (e.g., an RRCReconfiguration message), the UE generates a complete LTM candidate cell configuration by applying the LTM candidate cell configuration on top of the reference configuration by performing actions as specified in 3GPP 38.331 5.3.5.3.

[0055] When a UE generates a complete LTM candidate cell configuration, for example by performing an action as specified in 3GPP 38.331 5.3.5.3, in some examples, the UE may skip the step of generating RRCReconfigurationComplete. For example, an exception can be added to this procedure so that when the UE applies this procedure (e.g., 3GPP TS 38.331 5.3.5.3) to generate a complete LTM candidate cell, the UE does not generate (build, create, set) the RRCReconfigurationComplete message. When the UE receives an LTM cell handover command indicating one of the LTM candidate cells, the UE applies the already generated complete LTM candidate cell configuration (as associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell), and after its handover to the LTM candidate cell, it generates an LTM cell handover completion signaling (e.g., UL MAC CE) and transmits it to the LTM candidate cell. In some examples, the steps may be as follows: UE receives LTM candidate cell configuration; The UE (MAC entity) further receives the LTM cell handover command and instructs it to the upper / higher layer (RRC entity). The UE (MAC entity) receives an indication from the upper layer (e.g., the RRC entity) that the LTM candidate cell configuration has been applied. The UE (MAC entity) generates LTM cell handover completion signaling (e.g., UL MAC CE) and transmits it to the LTM candidate cell (e.g., by submitting it to the MAC buffer and / or to a lower layer).

[0056] In some examples, the UE may generate LTM cell handover completion signaling only after the LTM cell handover procedure has been successfully completed. In one example, LTM cell handover completion signaling is generated only after the UE has executed the actions included in the LTM cell handover command and applied the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration in the LTM cell handover command, or only after the UE has synchronized with the LTM candidate cell and applied the complete LTM candidate configuration and any other possible fields from the LTM cell handover command. Because the reception and application of the LTM cell handover command and LTM candidate cell configuration can occur at different layers of the UE protocol stack (e.g., the LTM cell handover command may correspond to a MAC CE, and the LTM candidate cell configuration may correspond to an RRC message, such as RRCReconfiguration), the indication of LTM cell handover completion can come from multiple layers. In one example, the indication may be that the LTM cell handover procedure originated from the MAC layer and occurred when the LTM cell handover command has been processed and applied. In another example, the indication may be that the LTM cell handover procedure originated from the RRC layer and occurred when the LTM candidate cell configuration has been processed and applied. In one example, the indication is when the LTM cell handover process is initiated at both the MAC and RRC layers, indicating that the LTM cell handover command and LTM candidate cell configuration have been processed and applied.

[0057] In some examples, the UE may generate LTM cell handover completion signaling only after the random access procedure resulting from the LTM cell handover process has been successfully completed. In one option, the UE transmits LTM cell handover completion signaling to the LTM candidate cell after the UE receives a MAC CE for contention resolution from the network (in the case of a contention-based random access procedure) or after the UE receives a random access response MAC CE from the network (in the case of an LTM cell handover with a contention-free random access procedure).

[0058] In some examples, the LTM cell handover completion signaling can be an RRC message, such as an RRCReconfigurationComplete message or a new RRC message for LTM. In some examples, the LTM cell handover completion signaling can be a MAC CE. In some examples, the UE may only transmit the LTM cell handover completion signaling to the target node upon receiving an indication that the LTM cell handover process has been successfully completed. In some examples, the LTM cell handover completion signaling can be the final signaling sent by the UE to end the LTM cell handover process. This also means that the UE has processed and completed all actions included in the received LTM cell handover command. In some examples, the indication that the LTM cell handover process has been completed can be received by the MAC or RRC layer.

[0059] In some examples, upon receiving an indication that an LTM cell handover command has been received and the LTM candidate cell configuration needs to be applied, the UE can transmit an LTM cell handover completion signaling to the target node. This signaling can, for example, indicate to the network that the UE has begun using the LTM candidate cell configuration indicated in the received LTM cell handover command, but the LTM cell handover process is not yet complete because the UE has not yet applied all the configurations received in the command. To indicate to the network that the LTM cell handover process has been successfully completed, further uplink signaling will be sent from the UE to the network. In some examples, the indication that the LTM cell handover process has been completed can be received by the MAC or RRC layer.

[0060] In some examples, upon receiving an indication included in the LTM cell handover command, the UE may transmit an LTM cell handover completion signaling message to the target node. This indication tells the UE that it should transmit the LTM cell handover completion signaling message to the LTM candidate cell in the LTM cell handover. When this indication is not included, the UE instead begins monitoring the PDCCH in the LTM candidate cell, rather than starting by transmitting an LTM cell handover completion message. This indication may be included in the LTM cell handover command when the UE first needs to apply the LTM candidate configuration, or when the network has some uncertainty regarding the timing of the UE starting to monitor the PDCCH on the LTM candidate cell (e.g., in inter-DU scenarios and / or when the LTM candidate cell is in a different DU than the serving cell from which the UE originated). In other words, the LTM cell handover completion signaling message is not always transmitted, but is transmitted when requested by the network in the LTM cell handover command.

[0061] In some examples, upon receiving an indication associated with an LTM candidate cell configuration, the UE may generate and / or transmit LTM cell handover completion signaling to the target node. This could be a field in and / or associated with the LTM candidate cell configuration, such that when the UE applies the LTM candidate cell configuration, for example to generate a complete LTM candidate cell configuration (on top of a reference configuration), the UE determines whether it needs to generate and / or transmit LTM cell handover completion signaling for that specific LTM candidate cell during LTM cell handover. The reason might be that for some LTM candidate cells, it is not necessary to generate and / or transmit LTM cell handover completion signaling because, in terms of timing, the UE has higher certainty in receiving the PDCCH in the LTM candidate cell after the cell handover process, for example, for LTM candidate cells within the same DU.

[0062] In some examples, upon receiving an indication associated with one or more LTM candidate cell sets, the UE may determine to generate and / or transmit LTM cell handover completion signaling to a target node (e.g., C-DU, CU). In some examples, when the UE is performing an LTM cell handover from a serving cell within a set to an LTM candidate cell within the same set, the UE may not generate and / or transmit LTM cell handover completion signaling. In some examples, when the UE is performing an LTM cell handover from a serving cell within a set to an LTM candidate cell from another set, the UE may generate and transmit LTM cell handover completion signaling. Such sets may be configured by the network at the UE, for example, set 1: LTM candidate A, LTM candidate B, LTM candidate C; set 2: LTM candidate D, LTM candidate E, LTM candidate F. When a UE performs an LTM cell handover between A→B, B→A, A→C, C→A, B→C, and C→B, in some examples, the UE may not generate and / or transmit LTM cell handover completion signaling; however, when a UE performs an LTM cell handover between cells from different sets, the UE generates and transmits LTM cell handover completion signaling, such as A→F.

[0063] In some examples, when the source node receives the LTM candidate cell configuration, the UE can transmit an LTM cell handover completion signaling to the target node even if the LTM cell handover process has not yet been initiated. In some examples, the UE may be configured with one or more LTM candidate cell configurations by the source node, and the UE will send an LTM cell handover completion signaling to the target node to indicate that the LTM candidate cell configuration has been correctly received and decoded. In one example, the UE sends one LTM cell handover completion signaling for each received LTM candidate cell configuration.

[0064] In some examples, the UE may transmit an LTM cell handover completion signaling message to the source node. In some examples, the UE may be configured with one or more LTM candidate cell configurations by the source node, and the UE will send an LTM cell handover completion signaling message to the target node to indicate that the LTM candidate cell configurations have been correctly received and decoded. In one example, the UE sends one LTM cell handover completion signaling message for each received LTM candidate cell configuration. In another example, the UE sends an LTM cell handover completion signaling message that includes an indication that all LTM candidate cell configurations have been correctly received and decoded.

[0065] In some examples, the UE can be configured with a first cell group and a second cell group, and transmit LTM cell handover completion signaling configured for LTM candidate cells received in the second cell group. In some examples, the UE can transmit LTM cell handover completion signaling in the first cell group. In some examples, the UE can transmit LTM cell handover completion signaling in the second cell group. In some examples, the first cell group can be a primary cell group (MCG) and the second cell group can be a secondary cell group (SCG). In some examples, the first cell group can be a secondary cell group (SCG) and the second cell group can be a primary cell group (MCG).

[0066] In some examples, the UE may transmit LTM cell handover completion signaling only after the first LTM cell handover procedure has been initiated for an LTM candidate cell configuration, upon completion of the LTM cell handover procedure. If subsequent LTM cell handover procedures are initiated for the same LTM candidate cell configuration, the UE does not transmit LTM cell handover completion signaling (but different uplink signaling and / or the UE first starts monitoring the PDCCH in the LTM candidate cell during LTM cell handover, unless the UE has UL data to transmit in the buffer). In one example, the UE has a counter for each LTM candidate cell configuration received by the source node, and this counter is initialized to zero (0). When the first LTM cell handover procedure is initiated for an LTM candidate cell configuration, the counter for the LTM candidate cell configuration is incremented by 1 (+1). If the counter for the LTM candidate cell configuration is greater than zero, for each subsequent LTM cell handover procedure initiated for the LTM candidate cell configuration, the UE transmits uplink signaling that is not LTM cell handover completion signaling. In one example, the UE has a 1-bit indicator configured for each LTM candidate cell configuration received from the source node, and this 1-bit indicator has a value indicating whether at least one LTM cell handover procedure has been initiated for a given LTM candidate cell configuration (e.g., a value of 0 indicates that no LTM cell handover procedure has been initiated for a given LTM candidate cell configuration). If a first LTM cell handover procedure is initiated for a given LTM candidate cell configuration, the value of the 1-bit indicator for the LTM candidate cell configuration is changed to indicate that at least one LTM cell handover procedure has been initiated for that LTM candidate cell configuration (e.g., a value of 0 indicates that at least one LTM cell handover procedure has been initiated for a given LTM candidate cell configuration). Based on this example, if the value of the 1-bit indicator is 1 for an LTM candidate cell configuration, then for each subsequent LTM cell handover procedure initiated for an LTM candidate cell configuration, the UE transmits uplink signaling that is not LTM cell handover completion signaling. In one example, the uplink signaling transmitted by the UE for subsequent LTM cell handover procedures initiated for an LTM candidate cell configuration is MAC CE. In one example, the uplink signaling transmitted by the UE for a subsequent LTM cell handover procedure initiated for an LTM candidate cell configuration is an RRC message (new or existing RRC message). In another example, the uplink signaling transmitted by the UE for a subsequent LTM cell handover procedure initiated for an LTM candidate cell configuration is L1 signaling.

[0067] In some examples, the UE can be configured with a first cell group and a second cell group, and transmit LTM cell handover completion signaling upon completion of an LTM cell handover procedure initiated for an LTM candidate cell configuration used for the second cell group. In some examples, the UE can transmit LTM cell handover completion signaling within the first cell group. In some examples, the UE can transmit LTM cell handover completion signaling within the second cell group. In some examples, the first cell group can be a primary cell group (MCG), and the second cell group can be a secondary cell group (SCG). In some examples, the first cell group can be a secondary cell group (SCG), and the second cell group can be a primary cell group (MCG).

[0068] In some examples, the LTM candidate cell configuration may include LTM cell handover completion signaling. In some examples, during an LTM cell handover procedure initiated for the LTM candidate cell configuration, the UE may transmit LTM cell handover completion signaling within the LTM candidate cell configuration. In some examples, upon receiving the LTM candidate cell configuration, the UE may transmit LTM cell handover completion signaling within the LTM candidate cell configuration.

[0069] In some examples, based on the different rules disclosed above, the UE may or may not transmit LTM cell handover completion signaling. Therefore, at the C-DU, the C-DU may or may not expect LTM cell handover completion signaling.

[0070] In some examples, for a given LTM candidate cell, the LTM candidate cell configuration can be provided to the UE in the RRCReconfiguration received by the UE from the serving cell (within a series of nested information elements (IEs), for example, when connecting to an S-DU. RRCReconfiguration This includes fields / IE corresponding to the LTM configuration (e.g., LTM-CandidateConfig), and the LTM candidate cell configuration is included in that LTM configuration, as shown in the example below: In LTM configuration, the UE obtains one or more LTM candidate cell configurations from the AddMod list (e.g., LTM-CandidateToAddModList), as shown below: Each LTM candidate cell configuration corresponds to an element in the AddMod list and is associated with an LTM candidate identifier (ID), such as Itm-CandidateId-r18 or IE LTM-CandidateId-r18, as shown below: It may take the form of, for example, an RRCReconfiguration message.

[0071] In some examples, the indication of the LTM configuration included in the LTM cell handover command received by the UE may correspond to an LTM candidate configuration ID, such as Itm-CandidateId-r18 of IE LTM-CandidateId-r18, which points to one of the LTM candidate configurations (one or more) that the UE applies to / switch to / starts using during LTM cell handover.

[0072] In some examples, the UE that generates LTM cell handover completion signaling includes the content of the UE creating and / or constructing and / or setting the LTM cell handover completion signaling.

[0073] Examples of this disclosure include methods for a source network node (such as a source gNB, source DU, or source CU) to process the reception of LTM cell handover completion signaling from a UE, including receiving LTM cell handover completion signaling related to LTM candidate cell configuration.

[0074] Examples of this disclosure include a method for a target network node, such as a target gNB, target DU, or target CU, to process the reception of LTM cell handover completion signaling from a UE, including receiving LTM cell handover completion signaling associated with LTM candidate cell configuration, and in response, transmitting LTM cell handover completion signaling to the CU.

[0075] In some examples, the C-DU receives LTM cell handover completion signaling corresponding to RRCReconfigurationComplete, and upon reception, the C-DU transmits a ULRRC message to the CU including the received RRCReconfigurationComplete. In one option, the C-DU also transmits an access success message to the CU, which includes the target cell ID of the LTM candidate cell to which the UE has already accessed (i.e., the cell from which the UE transmitted RRCReconfigurationComplete). This is explained below in the signaling flow.

[0076] Examples of this disclosure include methods for target network nodes such as target gNBs, target DUs, or target CUs, including: When a UE performs an LTM cell handover in a target network node, it determines whether it has received an LTM cell handover completion signaling corresponding to RRCReconfigurationComplete related to the LTM candidate cell configuration; In response to determining that an LTM cell handover completion signaling has been received, an LTM cell handover completion signaling is transmitted to the CU (e.g., RRCReconfigurationComplete within a UL RRC message transmission). And in response to determining that LTM cell handover completion signaling has not yet been received, transmit an access success message to the CU (e.g., including the target cell ID of the LTM candidate cell to which the UE is accessing).

[0077] This is below Figure 7 The signaling flow in the middle explains, Figure 7 An example of the signaling flow in a method according to an example of this disclosure for the case where a C-DU receives LTM cell handover completion signaling is shown. On the other hand, Figure 8 An example of the signaling flow is shown in an example of a method according to this disclosure for a situation where no LTM cell handover completion signaling is received at the C-DU.

[0078] In some examples, the C-DU may transmit a UL message transmission that includes an RRCReconfigurationComplete message, which also includes the target cell ID (otherwise, the target cell ID would already be included in the access success message, which, according to C1, is not transmitted because the C-DU has already received the LTM cell handover completion signaling from the UE).

[0079] Examples of this disclosure include methods for a third network node (or serving network node) such as a (serving) central unit (CU) or a (serving) gNB-CU to process the reception of LTM cell handover completion signaling from a UE, including determining whether LTM cell handover completion signaling corresponding to RRCReconfigurationComplete related to LTM candidate cell configuration has been received when the UE performs an LTM cell handover by performing one of the following: Receive LTM cell handover completion signaling from the target network node (e.g., RRCReconfigurationComplete within the UL RRC message transmission). Receive an access success message from the target network node (e.g., including the target cell ID of the LTM candidate cell to which the UE is accessing).

[0080] In some examples, the third network node may transmit an indication of receiving LTM cell handover completion signaling to the source network node. In some examples, the UE may be configured with a first cell group and a second cell group, and the third network node controls the first cell group. In some examples, the third network node may transmit an indication of receiving LTM cell handover completion signaling to a fourth network node controlling the second cell group. In some examples, the UE may be configured with a first cell group and a second cell group, and the third network node controls the second cell group. In some examples, the third network node may transmit an indication of receiving LTM cell handover completion signaling to a fourth network node controlling the first cell group. In some examples, the first cell group may be a primary cell group (MCG), and the second cell group may be a secondary cell group (SCG). In some examples, the first cell group may be a secondary cell group (SCG), and the second cell group may be a primary cell group (MCG).

[0081] Examples of this disclosure include methods for a fourth network node (or serving network node) such as a (serving) central unit (CU) or a (serving) gNB-CU to handle the reception of LTM cell handover completion signaling from a UE configured with a first cell group and a second cell group, including receiving an indication of receiving the LTM cell handover completion signaling from a third network node. In some examples, the fourth network node may control the second cell group. In some examples, the fourth network node may control the first cell group. In some examples, the first cell group may be a primary cell group (MCG), and the second cell group may be a secondary cell group (SCG). In some examples, the first cell group may be a secondary cell group (SCG), and the second cell group may be a primary cell group (MCG).

[0082] Figure 9 An example of a communication system QQ100 according to some embodiments is shown.

[0083] In this example, the communication system QQ100 includes a telecommunications network QQ102, which includes an access network QQ104 (such as a radio access network (RAN)) and a core network QQ106, which includes one or more core network nodes QQ108. The access network QQ104 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes QQ110a and QQ110b (one or more of which may generally be referred to as network node QQ110) or any other similar 3GPP access node or non-3GPP access point. Furthermore, as those skilled in the art will appreciate, network nodes are not necessarily limited to implementations in which the radio and baseband portions are provided and integrated by a single vendor. Therefore, it will be understood that network nodes include decomposed implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunications network QQ102 includes one or more Open RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunications network QQ102 that supports ORAN specifications (e.g., specifications published by the O-RAN Alliance or any similar organization) and can operate independently or in conjunction with other nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any node in the telecommunications network QQ102 (including one or more network nodes QQ110 and / or core network node QQ108).

[0084] Examples of ORAN network nodes include Open Radio Units (O-RUs), Open Distributed Units (O-DUs), Open Central Units (O-CUs) (which include an O-CU control plane (O-CU-CP) or an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP)), RAN Intelligent Controllers (near real-time or non-real-time) with managed software or software plugins (such as near real-time control applications (e.g., xApps) or non-real-time control applications (e.g., rApps)), or any combination thereof (the adjective "open" indicates support for the ORAN specification). Network nodes can support the specification, for example, by supporting interfaces defined by the ORAN specification, such as A1, F1, W1, E1, E2, X2, Xn interfaces, Open Fronthaul User Plane Interfaces, or Open Fronthaul Management Plane Interfaces. Furthermore, ORAN access nodes can be logical nodes within physical nodes. Additionally, ORAN network nodes can be implemented in a virtualized environment (further described below), in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualized environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a service management and orchestration framework via an O-2 interface defined by the O-RAN Consortium or similar technologies. Network node QQ110 facilitates direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as connecting UE QQ112a, QQ112b, QQ112c and QQ112d (one or more of which may generally be referred to as UE QQ112) to core network QQ106 via one or more wireless connections.

[0085] Examples of wireless communication via wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for transmitting information without the use of wires, cables, or other conductors. Furthermore, in various embodiments, the communication system QQ100 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that can facilitate or participate in the transmission of data and / or signals, whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system QQ100 may include any type of communication, telecommunications, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar system and / or be connected to any type of communication, telecommunications, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar system via an interface.

[0086] UE QQ112 can be any communication device of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network node QQ110 and other communication devices. Similarly, network node QQ110 is arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with UE QQ112 and / or with other network nodes or devices in telecommunication network QQ102 to enable and / or provide network access (such as wireless network access) and / or to perform other functions (such as management in telecommunication network QQ102).

[0087] In the illustrated example, core network QQ106 connects network node QQ110 to one or more hosts (such as host QQ116). These connections can be direct or indirect, via one or more intermediate networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes can be directly coupled to hosts. Core network QQ106 includes one or more core network nodes (e.g., core network node QQ108) constructed from hardware and software components. The characteristics of these components can be substantially similar to those described with respect to UE, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the description generally applies to the corresponding components of core network node QQ108. Example core network nodes include one or more of the following: Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier Dehiding Function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Agent (SEPP), Network Open Function (NEF), Policy Control Function (PCF), and / or User Plane Function (UPF).

[0088] The host QQ116 may be owned or controlled by a service provider other than the operator or provider of the telecommunications network QQ102 and / or access network QQ104, and may be operated by or on behalf of the service provider. The host QQ116 may host various applications to provide one or more services. Examples of such applications include the provision of live and / or pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services (e.g., retrieving and compiling data on various environmental conditions detected by multiple UEs), analytics functionality, social media, functionality for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functionality for alarm and monitoring centers, or any other such functionality performed by the server.

[0089] on the whole, Figure 9The QQ100 communication system enables connectivity between UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system can be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards, including but not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable next-generation standard (e.g., 6G); Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard (WiFi); and / or any other suitable wireless communication standards, such as WiMax, Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC), ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0090] In some examples, the QQ102 telecommunications network is a cellular network implementing 3GPP standardized features. Therefore, the QQ102 network can support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices connected to it. For example, the QQ102 network can provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs while providing enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or massive machine-type communication (mMTC) / massive IoT services to yet another UE.

[0091] In some examples, UE QQ112 is configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, the UE may be designed to transmit information to access network QQ104 on a predetermined schedule when triggered by internal or external events or in response to requests from access network QQ104. Additionally, the UE may be configured to operate in single-RAT, multi-RAT, or multi-standard modes. For example, the UE may operate with any or a combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio), and LTE, i.e., configured for multiple radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) NR dual connectivity (EN-DC).

[0092] exist Figure 9In the examples illustrated herein, hub QQ114 communicates with access network QQ104 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE QQ112c and / or QQ112d) and network nodes (e.g., network node QQ110b). In some examples, hub QQ114 may be a controller, router, content source, and analysis node, or any of the other communication devices described herein with respect to the UE. For example, hub QQ114 may be a broadband router for enabling access to core network QQ106 for the UE. As another example, hub QQ114 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UE. Commands or instructions may be received from the UE, network node QQ110, or may be received via executable code, scripts, procedures, or other instructions in hub QQ114. As another example, hub QQ114 may be a data collector that acts as a temporary storage device for UE data, and in some embodiments, data analysis or other processing may be performed. As another example, hub QQ114 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, speaker, or other media delivery device, hub QQ114 can retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via network nodes. Hub QQ114 then provides the VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In another example, hub QQ114 acts as a proxy server or coordinator for the UE, particularly if one or more of the UEs are low-power IoT devices.

[0093] Hub QQ114 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to network node QQ110b. Hub QQ114 may also be designed with different communication schemes and / or scheduling between hub QQ114 and UEs (e.g., UE QQ112c and / or QQ112d) and between hub QQ114 and core network QQ106. In other examples, hub QQ114 is connected to core network QQ106 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Furthermore, hub QQ114 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider via access network QQ104 and / or to another UE via a direct connection. In some scenarios, a UE can establish a wireless connection to network node QQ110 while still being connected via hub QQ114, either via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, hub QQ114 may be a dedicated hub, i.e., a hub whose primary function is to route communication from network node QQ110b to UE / to network node QQ110b. In other embodiments, hub QQ114 may be a non-dedicated hub, that is, a device capable of operating to route communication between the UE and network node QQ110b, but also capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0094] Figure 10 A UE QQ200 according to some embodiments is illustrated. As used herein, UE refers to a device capable of, configured to, arranged to, and / or operable to wirelessly communicate with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of UEs include, but are not limited to, smartphones, mobile phones, cellular phones, Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, desktop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless cameras, game consoles or devices, music storage devices, playback devices, wearable terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, tablets, laptops, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), vehicles, vehicle-mounted or vehicle-embedded / integrated wireless devices, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) UEs, Machine Type Communication (MTC) UEs, and / or Enhanced MTC (eMTC) UEs.

[0095] The UE can support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example, by implementing 3GPP standards for cut-through link communication, Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, the UE may not necessarily be a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the associated device. Instead, the UE may represent a device intended to be sold to or operated by a human user but which may not or can not initially be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, the UE may represent a device not intended to be sold to or operated by an end user but which may be associated with a user or operated for the user's benefit (e.g., a smart meter).

[0096] UE QQ200 includes processing circuitry QQ202, which is operatively coupled via bus QQ204 to input / output interface QQ206, power supply QQ208, memory QQ210, communication interface QQ212, and / or any other components, or any combination thereof. Some UEs may utilize... Figure 10 All or a subset of the components shown. The level of integration between components can vary from one UE to another. Furthermore, some UEs may contain multiple instances of components, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0097] The processing circuit QQ202 is configured to process instructions and data and can be configured to implement any sequential state machine that operates to execute instructions stored in memory QQ210 as a machine-readable computer program. The processing circuit QQ202 can be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, a general-purpose processor such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP) together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuit QQ202 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs). The processing circuit QQ202 can be operable to provide functionality, either alone or in combination with other UE QQ200 components (such as memory QQ210, UE QQ200). For example, the processing circuit QQ202 can be configured to cause UE QQ202 to perform as described in the reference. Figure 2 The method described.

[0098] In the example, the input / output interface QQ206 can be configured to provide interfaces or multiple interfaces to input devices, output devices, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of output devices include speakers, sound cards, video cards, displays, monitors, printers, actuators, transmitters, smart cards, other output devices, or any combination thereof. Input devices can allow users to capture information into the UE QQ200. Examples of input devices include touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive displays, cameras (e.g., digital cameras, digital camcorders, webcams, etc.), microphones, sensors, mice, trackballs, orientation pads, trackpads, scroll wheels, smart cards, etc. Presence-sensitive displays may include capacitive or resistive touch sensors to sense input from the user. Sensors may be, for example, accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt sensors, force sensors, magnetometers, light sensors, proximity sensors, biosensors, etc., or any combination thereof. Output devices can use the same type of interface port as input devices. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port can be used to provide input and output devices.

[0099] In some embodiments, the power supply QQ208 is configured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electrical outlet), a photovoltaic device, or a power cell, can be used. The power supply QQ208 may also include power circuitry for delivering power from the power supply QQ208 itself and / or an external power source to various parts of the UE QQ200 via an interface or input circuitry such as a power cable. The delivered power may be used, for example, for charging the power supply QQ208. The power circuitry may perform any formatting, conversion, or other modifications on the power from the power supply QQ208 to suit the power supply for the corresponding components of the UE QQ200 being powered.

[0100] The memory QQ210 can be or is configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), disk, optical disk, hard disk, removable cassette tape, flash drive, etc. In one example, the memory QQ210 includes one or more application programs QQ214 (such as an operating system, web browser application, widget, gadget engine, or other application) and corresponding data QQ216. The memory QQ210 can store any operating system or combination of operating systems from a wide variety of different operating systems used by the UE QQ200.

[0101] The QQ210 memory can be configured to include multiple physical drive units such as a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital universal disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard drive, Blu-ray disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini dual in-line memory modules (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro DIMM SDRAM, tamper-proof smart card memory such as a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) (including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIM) such as USIM and / or ISIM), other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC can be, for example, an embedded UICC (eUICC), an integrated UICC (iUICC), or a removable UICC commonly referred to as a "SIM card." The QQ210 memory allows the UE QQ200 to access instructions, applications, etc., stored on transient or non-transient storage media to offload or upload data. Articles of manufacture, such as those utilizing communication systems, may be tangibly embodied in or contained in memory QQ210, which may be or include a device-readable storage medium.

[0102] The processing circuitry QQ202 can be configured to communicate with an access network or other networks using a communication interface QQ212. The communication interface QQ212 may include one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna QQ222. The communication interface QQ212 may include one or more transceivers for communication, such as through communication with another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., a network node in the access network or another UE). Each transceiver may include a transmitter QQ218 and / or a receiver QQ220 adapted to provide network communication (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocation, etc.). Furthermore, the transmitter QQ218 and receiver QQ220 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna QQ222) and may share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively, the transmitter QQ218 and receiver QQ220 may be implemented separately.

[0103] In some embodiments, the communication functions of the QQ212 communication interface may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communication such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as using a Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine location, another similar communication function, or any combination thereof. Communication may be implemented according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), etc.

[0104] Regardless of the sensor type, the UE can provide the output of data captured by its sensors via its communication interface QQ212, through a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by the UE's sensors can be transmitted via another UE, also through a wireless connection to a network node. The output can be periodic (e.g., every 15 minutes if it reports sensed temperature), random (e.g., balancing the load of reports from several sensors), responsive to a triggered event (e.g., sending an alarm when humidity is detected), responsive to a request (e.g., a user-initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., live video feed of a patient).

[0105] As another example, the UE includes actuators, motors, or switches associated with a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. The state of the actuator, motor, or switch can change in response to the received wireless input. For example, the UE may include motors for adjusting control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight based on received input, or for controlling a robotic arm performing medical procedures based on received input.

[0106] When a UE is in the form of an Internet of Things (IoT) device, it can be a device for use in one or more application domains, including but not limited to urban wearable technology, extended industrial applications, and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such IoT devices are devices or devices embedded in the following: connected refrigerators or freezers, TVs, connected lighting devices, electricity meters, robotic vacuum cleaners, voice-controlled smart speakers, home security cameras, motion detectors, thermostats, smoke detectors, door / window sensors, flood / humidity sensors, electric door locks, connected doorbells, heat pump-like air conditioning systems, autonomous vehicles, monitoring systems, weather monitoring devices, vehicle parking monitoring devices, electric vehicle charging stations, smartwatches, fitness trackers, head-mounted displays for augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR), wearable devices for haptic or sensory enhancement, sprinklers, animal or object tracking devices, sensors for monitoring plants or animals, industrial robots, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and any kind of medical device such as heart rate monitors or remotely controlled surgical robots. (Except as per the above...) Figure 10 In addition to the other components described in UE QQ200 shown, UEs in the form of IoT devices include circuitry and / or software that depend on the intended application of the IoT device.

[0107] As another specific example, in IoT scenarios, a UE can represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurement and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurement to another UE and / or network node. In this case, the UE can be an M2M device, which may be referred to as an MTC device in the 3GPP context. As a specific example, the UE can implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, the UE can represent a vehicle, such as a car, bus, truck, ship, or aircraft, or other devices capable of monitoring and / or reporting its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0108] In practice, any number of UEs can be used together for a single use case. For example, the first UE can be an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or can be integrated into the UAV and provide the UAV's speed information (obtained via a speed sensor) to a second UE, which acts as a remote controller for operating the UAV. When a user makes a change from the remote controller, the first UE can adjust a throttle valve on the UAV (e.g., by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the UAV's speed. The first and / or second UEs can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, the UE can include sensors and actuators and handle the transmission of data from both the speed sensor and the actuator.

[0109] Figure 11A network node QQ300 according to some embodiments is illustrated. As used herein, a network node refers to a device capable of, configured to, arranged to, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or devices in a telecommunications network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), and NR Node Bs (gNBs)), O-RAN nodes, or components of O-RAN nodes (e.g., O-RUs, O-DUs, O-CUs).

[0110] Base stations can be classified based on the coverage they provide (or, in other words, their transmit power levels), and therefore, depending on the coverage provided, a base station can be referred to as a femtobase, picobase, microbase, or macrobase. A base station can be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node can also include one or more (or all) portions of a distributed radio base station such as a centralized digital unit, a distributed unit (e.g., in an O-RAN access node), and / or a remote radio unit (RRU) sometimes referred to as a remote radio head end (RRH). Such a remote radio unit may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna-integrated radio device. A portion of a distributed radio base station can also be referred to as a node in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0111] Other examples of network nodes include multi-transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi-standard radio (MSR) devices such as MSR BS, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNC) or base station controllers (BSC), base transceiver stations (BTS), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCE), operation and maintenance (O&M) nodes, operation support system (OSS) nodes, self-organizing network (SON) nodes, location nodes (such as evolved servicing mobile location centers (E-SMLC)), and / or minimized drive tests (MDT).

[0112] Network node QQ300 includes processing circuitry QQ302, memory QQ304, communication interface QQ306, and power supply QQ308, and / or any other components, or any combination thereof. Network node QQ300 may consist of multiple physically separate components (e.g., NodeB components and RNC components, or BTS components and BSC components, etc.), each of which may have its own corresponding components. In some scenarios where network node QQ300 includes multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of these separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC can control multiple NodeBs. In such scenarios, each unique NodeB and RNC pair may be considered a single, independent network node in some instances. In some embodiments, network node QQ300 may be configured to support multiple Radio Access Technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory QQ304 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., the same antenna QQ310 may be shared by different RATs). The network node QQ300 may also include a collection of various described components for integrating different wireless technologies, such as GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, RFID, or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or chipsets and other components within the network node QQ300.

[0113] The processing circuitry QQ302 may include: a microprocessor, a controller, a central processing unit, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field-programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device or resource, or a combination of hardware, software, and / or coding logic operable to provide the functionality of the network node QQ300, either alone or in combination with other network node QQ300 components such as memory QQ304. For example, the processing circuitry QQ302 may be configured to cause the network node to perform actions as described in the reference. Figure 3 And / or the methods described in VV3.

[0114] In some embodiments, the processing circuit QQ302 includes a system-on-a-chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuit QQ302 includes one or more of a radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuit QQ312 and a baseband processing circuit QQ314. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuit QQ312 and the baseband processing circuit QQ314 may be on separate chips (or chipsets), boards, or units such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the RF transceiver circuit QQ312 and the baseband processing circuit QQ314 may be on the same chip or chipset, board, or unit.

[0115] The memory QQ304 may include any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory, including, but not limited to, permanent storage devices, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (e.g., hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., flash drives, CDs, or DVDs), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory that stores information, data, and / or instructions usable by the processing circuitry QQ302. The memory QQ304 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including applications, software, computer programs, and / or other instructions that can be executed by the processing circuitry QQ302 and utilized by the network node QQ300, including one or more of logic, rules, codes, tables. The memory QQ304 may be used to store any calculations performed by the processing circuitry QQ302 and / or any data received via the communication interface QQ306. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry QQ302 and the memory QQ304 are integrated.

[0116] A communication interface QQ306 is used for wired or wireless transmission of signaling and / or data between network nodes, access networks, and / or UEs. As illustrated, the communication interface QQ306 includes one or more ports / terminals QQ316 for transmitting data to and receiving data from the network, for example, via a wired connection. The communication interface QQ306 also includes a radio front-end circuit QQ318 that can be coupled to or is part of the antenna QQ310 in some embodiments. The radio front-end circuit QQ318 includes a filter QQ320 and an amplifier QQ322. The radio front-end circuit QQ318 can be connected to the antenna QQ310 and the processing circuit QQ302. The radio front-end circuit can be configured to modulate the signal transmitted between the antenna QQ310 and the processing circuit QQ302. The radio front-end circuit QQ318 can receive digital data to be transmitted wirelessly to other network nodes or UEs. The radio front-end circuit QQ318 can use a combination of the filter QQ320 and / or the amplifier QQ322 to convert the digital data into a radio signal with appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. Radio signals can then be transmitted via antenna QQ310. Similarly, upon receiving data, antenna QQ310 can collect radio signals and then convert them into digital data via radio front-end circuitry QQ318. The digital data can then be transmitted to processing circuitry QQ302. In other embodiments, the communication interface may include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0117] In some alternative embodiments, network node QQ300 does not include a separate radio front-end circuit QQ318; instead, processing circuitry QQ302 includes the radio front-end circuitry and is connected to antenna QQ310. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry QQ312 is part of communication interface QQ306. In other embodiments, communication interface QQ306 includes one or more ports or terminals QQ316, radio front-end circuitry QQ318, and RF transceiver circuitry QQ312 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and communication interface QQ306 communicates with baseband processing circuitry QQ314, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0118] Antenna QQ310 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals. Antenna QQ310 may be coupled to radio front-end circuitry QQ318 and may be any type of antenna capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data and / or signals. In some embodiments, antenna QQ310 is decoupled from network node QQ300 and may be connected to network node QQ300 via an interface or port.

[0119] Antenna QQ310, communication interface QQ306, and / or processing circuitry QQ302 can be configured to perform any receive operation and / or certain acquire operation described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and / or signals can be received from the UE, another network node, and / or any other network device. Similarly, antenna QQ310, communication interface QQ306, and / or processing circuitry QQ302 can be configured to perform any transmit operation described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and / or signals can be transmitted to the UE, another network node, and / or any other network device.

[0120] Power supply QQ308 provides power to the various components of network node QQ300 in a manner suitable to the respective components (e.g., at the voltage and current levels required by each respective component). Power supply QQ308 may also include or be coupled to power management circuitry to power the components of network node QQ300 for performing the functionality described herein. For example, network node QQ300 may be connected to an external power source (e.g., mains, electrical outlet) via input circuitry or interface such as a cable, thereby supplying power to the power circuitry of power supply QQ308. As another example, power supply QQ308 may include a power source in the form of a battery or battery pack, connected to or integrated into the power circuitry. The battery can provide backup power in the event of an external power failure.

[0121] Implementations of the network node QQ300 may include, except Figure 11 Additional components beyond those shown herein are used to provide certain aspects of the functionality of the network node, including any functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the topics described herein. For example, the network node QQ300 may include user interface devices for allowing information to be input to and output from the network node QQ300. This allows the user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other management functions for the network node QQ300.

[0122] Figure 15 A network node QQ700 according to some embodiments is illustrated. As used herein, a network node refers to a device capable of, configured to, arranged to, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or devices in a telecommunications network. The network node QQ700 may be operable as a core network node, a core network function, or more generally a core network entity (such as those mentioned above). Figure 9The core network node described is QQ108. Examples of network nodes in this context include core network entities such as a Mobile Handover Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier Dehiding Function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Agent (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), Policy Control Function (PCF), and / or User Plane Function (UPF).

[0123] The network node QQ700 includes processing circuitry QQ702, memory QQ704, communication interface QQ706, and power supply QQ708, and / or any other components, or any combination thereof. The network node QQ700 can consist of multiple physically separate components, each with its own components. In some scenarios where the network node QQ700 includes multiple independent components, one or more of these independent components can be shared among several network nodes.

[0124] The processing circuitry QQ702 may include a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field-programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device or resource, or a combination of hardware, software, and / or coding logic operable to provide the functionality of the network node QQ700, alone or in combination with other network node QQ700 components (such as memory QQ704).

[0125] The memory QQ704 may include any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory, including but not limited to permanent storage devices, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (e.g., hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., flash drives, optical discs (CDs), or digital video discs (DVDs)) and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory device that stores information, data, and / or instructions that can be used by the processing circuitry QQ702. The memory QQ704 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including computer programs, software, applications including logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions that can be executed by the processing circuitry QQ702 and utilized by the network node QQ700. The memory QQ704 may be used to store any calculations performed by the processing circuitry QQ702 and / or any data received via the communication interface QQ706. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry QQ702 and the memory QQ704 are integrated.

[0126] The QQ706 communication interface is used for wired or wireless transmission of signaling and / or data between network nodes, access networks and / or UEs.

[0127] The power supply QQ708 supplies power to the various components of the network node QQ700 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at the voltage and current levels required by each respective component). The power supply QQ708 may also include or be coupled to power management circuitry to supply power to the components of the network node QQ700 for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node QQ700 may be connected to an external power source (e.g., mains, power outlet) via input circuitry or an interface such as a cable, thereby supplying power to the power circuitry of the power supply QQ708. As another example, the power supply QQ708 may include a power source in the form of a battery or battery pack connected to or integrated into the power circuitry. The battery can provide backup power in the event of an external power failure.

[0128] Implementations of the network node QQ700 may include, in addition to Figure 15 Additional components beyond those shown herein are used to provide certain aspects of the functionality of the network node, including any functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the topics described herein. For example, the network node QQ700 may include a user interface device to allow information to be input to and output from the network node QQ700. This allows users to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other management functions on the network node QQ700.

[0129] Figure 12 It is based on the various aspects described in this article, and may be Figure 9 A block diagram of host QQ400, an embodiment of host QQ116, is provided. As used herein, host QQ400 can be or includes various combinations of hardware and / or software, including standalone servers, blade servers, cloud-implemented servers, distributed servers, virtual machines, containers, or processing resources in a server farm. Host QQ400 can provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0130] The host QQ400 includes processing circuitry QQ402, which is operatively coupled via bus QQ404 to input / output interface QQ406, network interface QQ408, power supply QQ410, and memory QQ412. Other components may be included in other embodiments. These components may be characterized substantially similarly to those relating to... Figure 10 and Figure 11 The features described in the previous diagrams make the description generally applicable to the corresponding components of the host QQ400.

[0131] The memory QQ412 may include one or more computer programs, including one or more host applications QQ414 and data QQ416, the data QQ416 including user data (e.g., data generated by the UE for the host QQ400 or data generated by the host QQ400 for the UE). Embodiments of the host QQ400 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. The host application QQ414 can be implemented in a container-based architecture, and the host application QQ414 can provide support for video codecs (e.g., Universal Video Codec (VVC), High Efficiency Video Codec (HEVC), Advanced Video Codec (AVC), MPEG, VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., FLAC, Advanced Audio Codec (AAC), MPEG, G.711), including code conversion for multiple different categories, types, or implementations for the UE (e.g., mobile phone, desktop computer, wearable display system, head-up display system). The host application QQ414 can also provide user authentication and permission checks and can periodically report health, routing, and content availability to a central node (such as a device in the core network or at the edge). Therefore, the host QQ400 can select and / or instruct different hosts for the UE to use for overhead services. The host application QQ414 can support various protocols, such as HTTP Live Streaming (HLS), Real-time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), and HTTP-based Dynamic Adaptive Streaming (MPEG-DASH).

[0132] Figure 13 This is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment QQ500 in which functionality implemented by some embodiments can be virtualized. In this context, virtualization means creating a virtual version of a device or apparatus that may include a virtualized hardware platform, storage devices, and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any apparatus or component thereof described herein and relates to an implementation where at least a portion of its functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functionality described herein can be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments QQ500 hosted by one or more hardware nodes, such as hardware computing devices operating as network nodes, UEs, core network nodes, or hosts. Furthermore, in embodiments where virtual nodes do not require radio connectivity (e.g., core network nodes or hosts), the nodes can be fully virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment QQ500 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated via an O-2 interface by a service management and orchestration framework.

[0133] Running the application QQ502 (which may alternatively be referred to as a software instance, virtual device, network function, virtual node, virtual network function, etc.) in the virtualization environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0134] The hardware QQ504 includes processing circuitry, memory storing software and / or instructions executable by the hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as network interfaces, input / output interfaces, etc. The processing circuitry can execute software to instantiate one or more virtualization layers QQ506 (also referred to as a hypervisor or virtual machine monitor (VMM)), provide VMs QQ508a and QQ508b (one or more of which may be commonly referred to as VM QQ508), and / or perform any of the functions, features, and / or benefits described in relation to some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer QQ506 can present a virtual operating platform to the VM QQ508 that appears to be networked hardware.

[0135] VM QQ508 includes virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interfaces, and virtual storage devices, and can run through the corresponding virtualization layer QQ506. Different embodiments of instances of virtual device QQ502 can be implemented on one or more VMs in VM QQ508, and can be implemented in different ways. Hardware virtualization is referred to as Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) in some contexts. NFV can be used to consolidate many types of network devices into industry-standard high-capacity server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage devices that can be located in data centers and customer premises.

[0136] In the context of NFV, a VM QQ508 can be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each VM in a VM QQ508, and the portion of the hardware QQ504 that executes that VM—whether it's hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM and other VMs within it—forms an independent virtual network element. Still within the NFV context, the virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions running on top of the hardware QQ504 in one or more VM QQ508s and corresponds to the application QQ502.

[0137] Hardware QQ504 can be implemented in standalone network nodes with general or specific components. Hardware QQ504 can utilize virtualization to achieve some functionalities. Alternatively, hardware QQ504 can be part of a larger hardware cluster (e.g., in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration QQ510, which in particular also oversees the lifecycle management of application QQ502. In some embodiments, hardware QQ504 is coupled to one or more radio units, each including one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that can be coupled to one or more antennas. The radio units can communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more suitable network interfaces and can be combined with virtual components to provide radio capabilities to virtual nodes, such as radio access nodes or base stations. In some embodiments, a control system QQ512 can be used to provide signaling, which can alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0138] Figure 14 A communication diagram is shown of host QQ602 communicating with UE QQ606 via a partially wireless connection through network node QQ604, according to some embodiments. Reference will now be made to... Figure 14 To describe the UEs discussed in the preceding paragraphs (such as...) Figure 9 UE QQ112a and / or Figure 10 UE QQ200), network nodes (such as Figure 9 Network node QQ110a and / or Figure 11 Network node QQ300) and host (such as Figure 9 The host QQ116 and / or Figure 12 Example implementations of the host QQ400 according to various embodiments.

[0139] Like the host QQ400, embodiments of the host QQ602 include hardware such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. The host QQ602 also includes software stored in or accessible by the host QQ602 and executable by the processing circuitry. The software includes a host application operable to provide services to remote users of the UE QQ606, such as those connected via an over-the-top (OTT) connection QQ650 extending between the UE QQ606 and the host QQ602. When providing services to remote users, the host application can provide user data transmitted using the OTT connection QQ650.

[0140] Network node QQ604 includes hardware that enables it to communicate with host QQ602 and UE QQ606. Connection to QQ604 can be direct or via a core network (like...). Figure 9 The core network (similar to QQ106) and / or one or more other intermediate networks (such as one or more public, private, or hosted networks). For example, an intermediate network could be a backbone network or the Internet.

[0141] UE QQ606 includes hardware and software, the software being stored in or accessible by UE QQ606 and executable by the UE's processing circuitry. The software includes client applications, such as web browsers or carrier-specific "apps," operable to provide services to human or non-human users via UE QQ606 with the support of host QQ602. In host QQ602, the executing host application can communicate with the executing client application via OTT connection QQ650, which terminates at both UE QQ606 and host QQ602. When providing services to a user, the UE's client application can receive request data from the host application of the host and provide user data in response to the request data. OTT connection QQ650 can transmit both request data and user data. The UE's client application can interact with the user to generate the user data it provides to the host application via OTT connection QQ650.

[0142] The OTT connection QQ650 can be extended via connection QQ660 between host QQ602 and network node QQ604, and via wireless connection QQ670 between network node QQ604 and UE QQ606 to provide connectivity between host QQ602 and UE QQ606. Connection QQ660 and wireless connection QQ670, on which OTT connection QQ650 can be provided, have been abstractly drawn to illustrate communication between host QQ602 and UE QQ606 via network node QQ604, without explicitly mentioning any intermediate devices or the precise routing of messages via these devices.

[0143] As an example of data transmission via OTT connection QQ650, in step QQ608, host QQ602 provides user data, which can be executed by executing a host application. In some embodiments, the user data is associated with a specific human user interacting with UE QQ606. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with UE QQ606, which shares data with host QQ602 without explicit human interaction. In step QQ610, host QQ602 initiates a transmission carrying user data toward UE QQ606. Host QQ602 may initiate the transmission in response to a request transmitted by UE QQ606. The request can be made through human interaction with UE QQ606 or through the operation of a client application executed on UE QQ606. According to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the transmission may pass through network node QQ604. Therefore, in step QQ612, according to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, network node QQ604 transmits to UE QQ606 the user data carried in the transmission initiated by host QQ602. In step QQ614, UE QQ606 receives user data carried in the transmission, which can be executed by a client application that is associated with a host application executed by host QQ602 and is executed on UE QQ606.

[0144] In some examples, UE QQ606 executes a client application that provides user data to host QQ602. User data can be provided as a response to or in response to data received from host QQ602. Therefore, in step QQ616, UE QQ606 can provide user data, which can be done by executing the client application. When providing user data, the client application may also consider user input received from a user via the input / output interface of UE QQ606. Regardless of the specific manner in which user data is provided, UE QQ606 initiates a transmission of user data to host QQ602 via network node QQ604 in step QQ618. In step QQ620, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, network node QQ604 receives user data from UE QQ606 and initiates a transmission of the received user data to host QQ602. In step QQ622, host QQ602 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by UE QQ606.

[0145] One or more embodiments in various implementations improve the performance of OTT services provided to UE QQ606 using OTT connection QQ650, wherein radio connection QQ670 forms the final segment. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments can provide benefits such as, for example, ensuring that the network knows that the received LTM configuration is applied to the configuration used by the UE in the target cell, rather than the configuration used in the source cell.

[0146] In the example scenario, host QQ602 can collect and analyze plant status information. As another example, host QQ602 can process audio and video data that may have been retrieved from the UE for creating mappings. As another example, host QQ602 can collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling traffic congestion (e.g., controlling traffic lights). As another example, host QQ602 can store surveillance video uploaded by the UE. As another example, host QQ602 can store or control access to media content such as video, audio, VR, or AR, which it can broadcast, multicast, or unicast to the UE. As other examples, host QQ602 can be used for energy pricing, balancing power generation demand, location services, remote control of non-time-critical power loads (such as compiled graphs from data collected from remote devices), or any other function of collecting, retrieving, storing, analyzing, and / or transmitting data.

[0147] In some examples, the measurement process may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rates, latency, and other factors that improve upon one or more embodiments. In response to changes in the measurement results, optional network functionality may also be available for reconfiguring the OTT connection QQ650 between host QQ602 and UE QQ606. The measurement process and / or network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection may be implemented in the software and hardware of host QQ602 and / or UE QQ606. In some embodiments, a sensor (not shown) may be deployed in or associated with other devices traversed by the OTT connection QQ650; the sensor may participate in the measurement process by providing values ​​of the monitored quantities illustrated above or by providing values ​​of other physical quantities that the software can calculate or estimate the monitored quantities. Reconfiguration of the OTT connection QQ650 may include message formats, retransmission settings, preferred routing, etc.; reconfiguration does not require direct changes to the operation of network node QQ604. Such processes and functionalities are known and implemented in the art. In some embodiments, the measurement may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates measurements of throughput, propagation time, latency, etc., by the host QQ602. Measurements can be achieved because the software uses an OTT connection to QQ650 to transmit messages, particularly empty or "fake" messages, while monitoring propagation time, errors, etc.

[0148] This disclosure includes the embodiments listed below. Example

[0149] Group A Examples 1. A method performed by a user equipment (UE) for performing a cell handover procedure, the method comprising: Receive one or more L1 / L2 triggered mobility (LTM) candidate target cell configurations; Receive an LTM cell handover command that identifies one or more LTM candidate target cell configurations; The application uses the identified LTM candidate target cell configuration to hand over to the target cell; and Send signaling on the target cell to indicate that the identified LTM candidate target cell configuration has been applied.

[0150] 2. The method according to Embodiment 1, wherein the signaling on the target cell indicates that the cell handover process is complete.

[0151] 3. The method according to embodiment 1 or 2 includes generating or preparing signaling in response to receiving one or more LTM target cell configurations.

[0152] 4. The method according to embodiment 3, wherein the identified LTM candidate target cell configuration includes instructions for generating or preparing signaling or is associated with instructions for generating or preparing signaling.

[0153] 5. The method according to embodiment 3 or 4 includes generating or preparing corresponding signaling for each of the one or more LTM target cell configurations in response to receiving one or more LTM target cell configurations.

[0154] 6. The method according to embodiment 1 or 2 includes generating or preparing signaling in response to receiving an LTM cell handover command.

[0155] 7. The method according to Embodiment 1 or 2 includes generating or preparing signaling after applying the identified LTM target cell configuration.

[0156] 8. The method according to any one of Embodiments 1, 2 or 7 includes generating or preparing signaling after the UE has been synchronized with the target cell.

[0157] 9. The method according to embodiment 7 or 8 includes generating or preparing signaling in response to instructions from the MAC layer, layer 2 (L2) layer, RRC layer and / or layer 3 (L3) layer.

[0158] 10. The method according to embodiment 9, wherein the indication indicates that the identified LTM target cell configuration has been applied and / or the UE has been synchronized with the target cell.

[0159] 11. The method according to embodiment 1 or 2 includes performing a random access procedure on the target cell after applying the identified LTM candidate target cell configuration.

[0160] 12. The method according to embodiment 11 includes generating or preparing signaling in response to the completion of the random access procedure and / or in response to receiving a random access response and / or contention resolution information on the target cell.

[0161] 13. The method according to embodiment 11 or 12 includes sending signaling in response to the completion of the random access procedure and / or in response to receiving a random access response and / or contention resolution information on the target cell.

[0162] 14. The method according to embodiment 1 or 2, wherein the identified LTM candidate target cell configuration includes or identifies signaling.

[0163] 15. The method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 14 includes generating a complete LTM target cell configuration based on the identified target cell configuration and reference configuration.

[0164] 16. The method according to embodiment 15, wherein applying the identified LTM candidate target cell configuration includes applying the complete LTM target cell configuration.

[0165] 17. The method according to embodiment 15 or 16 includes generating a complete LTM target cell configuration for each of one or more LTM target cell configurations based on an LTM target cell configuration and a reference configuration.

[0166] 18. The method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 17, wherein the signaling includes one or more RRC messages and / or one or more RRCReconfigurationComplete messages and / or one or more MAC control elements (CE) and / or Layer 1 (L1) signaling.

[0167] 19. The method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 18, wherein sending signaling on the target cell is performed in response to or in association with an indication that the identified LTM candidate target cell configuration includes sending signaling on the target cell.

[0168] 20. The method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 18, wherein sending signaling on the target cell is performed in response to the UE's serving cell and the target cell being in the same set of cells.

[0169] 21. The method according to embodiment 20 includes receiving information identifying the cell set.

[0170] 22. The method according to embodiment 21, wherein information identifying a set of cells is received on the serving cell and / or from a network node, gNB, distributed unit (DU), or central unit (CU).

[0171] 23. The method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 22, comprising: in response to receiving one or more LTM candidate target cell configurations: Send signaling on the serving cell and / or target cell to indicate that the identified LTM candidate target cell configuration has been received and / or decoded and / or applied; or For each of one or more LTM candidate target cell configurations, signaling is sent on the serving cell and / or the corresponding target cell associated with the LTM target cell configuration to indicate that the LTM candidate target cell configuration has been received and / or decoded and / or applied.

[0172] 24. The method according to Examples 1 to 23, wherein sending signaling on the target cell is performed only when the UE first applies the identified LTM candidate target cell configuration.

[0173] 25. The method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 24, wherein one or more L1 / L2 triggered mobility (LTM) candidate target cell configurations and / or LTM cell handover commands are received from the serving cell and / or network nodes associated with the serving cell.

[0174] 26. The method according to embodiment 25, wherein the network node associated with the serving cell includes a gNB, DU, or CU.

[0175] 27. The method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 26, wherein sending signaling on the target cell includes sending signaling to network nodes associated with the target cell.

[0176] 28. The method according to embodiment 27, wherein the network node associated with the target cell includes a gNB, DU, or CU.

[0177] 29. The method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 28, wherein performing the cell handover process includes applying the identified LTM candidate target cell configuration.

[0178] 30. The method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 29, wherein applying the identified LTM candidate target cell configuration includes performing the identified candidate target cell configuration.

[0179] 31. The method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 30, wherein the application of the identified candidate target cell configuration is performed by the RRC layer.

[0180] 32. The method according to embodiment 31, wherein the RRC layer applies the identified candidate target cell configuration in response to an instruction from a layer below the RRC layer.

[0181] 33. The method according to embodiment 32, wherein the LTM candidate target cell configuration is identified by the indication identifier of the layer below the RRC layer.

[0182] 34. The method according to any of embodiments 31 to 33, wherein after applying the identified candidate target cell configuration, the RRC layer sends an indication to layers below the RRC layer.

[0183] 35. The method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 31, wherein each of the identified LTM candidate target cell configurations or one or more LTM candidate target cell configurations includes one or more of the following: Cell group configuration for primary cell group (MCG) or secondary cell group (SCG); Serving cell configuration for SpCell, PCell, PSCell, or SCell; Bandwidth Part (BWP) configuration; RRCReconfiguration message; Measurement configuration; Radio bearer configuration; UE identifier or C-RNTI; System information; Timer configuration; Another candidate cell configuration; Instructions for the UE to perform full configuration; Instructions used by the UE to perform incremental configuration; Reference configuration; and / or Instructions on whether to perform L2 reset, MAC reset, partial MAC reset, full MAC reset, RLC rebuild and / or PDCP recovery or rebuild.

[0184] 36. The method according to any of the foregoing embodiments further includes: Provide user data; and User data is forwarded to the host via transmission to network nodes.

[0185] Group B Implementation Examples 37. A method executed by a network node for causing a user equipment (UE) to perform a cell handover procedure, wherein the network node is associated with a serving cell of the UE, the method comprising: Send one or more L1 / L2 triggered mobility (LTM) candidate target cell configurations to the UE; and Receive signaling from the UE to indicate that the identified LTM candidate target cell configuration has been received and / or decoded and / or applied.

[0186] 38. The method according to embodiment 37 includes sending an LTM cell handover command to the UE that identifies one or more LTM candidate target cell configurations.

[0187] 39. The method according to embodiment 38, wherein signaling is received from the UE after sending an LTM cell handover command to the UE.

[0188] 40. The method according to any one of embodiments 37 to 39, wherein receiving signaling from the UE indicating that the identified LTM candidate target cell configuration has been received and / or decoded and / or applied comprises: for each of one or more LTM candidate target cell configurations, receiving from the UE signaling on the serving cell and / or the corresponding target cell associated with the LTM target cell configuration to indicate that the LTM candidate target cell configuration has been received and / or decoded and / or applied.

[0189] 41. The method according to any of the embodiments 37 to 40, wherein the signaling includes one or more RRC messages and / or one or more RRCReconfigurationComplete messages and / or one or more MAC control elements (CE) and / or Layer 1 (L1) signaling.

[0190] 42. The method according to any one of embodiments 37 to 41, wherein the network node includes gNB, DU or CU.

[0191] 43. A method performed by a network node, wherein the network node is associated with a target cell configured for L1 / L2 triggered mobility (LTM) candidate target cell for LTM cell handover procedures of a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: Receive signaling from the user equipment (UE) to indicate that the LTM candidate target cell configuration has been received and / or decoded and / or applied.

[0192] 44. The method according to embodiment 43, wherein signaling indicates that the cell handover process is complete.

[0193] 45. The method according to embodiment 43 or 44 includes receiving signaling after the UE has synchronized with the target cell.

[0194] 46. ​​The method according to any of embodiments 43 to 45, wherein the signaling includes one or more RRC messages and / or one or more RRCReconfigurationComplete messages and / or one or more MAC control elements (CE) and / or Layer 1 (L1) signaling.

[0195] 47. The method according to any one of embodiments 43 to 46 includes receiving signaling in response to the LTM candidate target cell configuration, the candidate target cell configuration including or associated with an indication to send signaling on a target cell.

[0196] 48. The method according to any one of embodiments 43 to 47 includes receiving signaling in response to the UE's serving cell and target cell being in the same set of cells.

[0197] 49. The method according to any one of embodiments 43 to 48, wherein the network node includes gNB, DU or CU.

[0198] 50. The method according to any one of embodiments 43 to 48, wherein the network node includes a DU, and the method includes sending signaling to the CU.

[0199] 51. The method according to any one of embodiments 43 to 48, wherein the network node includes a CU, and the method includes receiving signaling via a DU.

[0200] 52. The method according to embodiment 51 includes sending signaling to a network node associated with the UE's previous serving cell and / or an indication that the UE's cell handover process is complete and / or an indication that the UE has applied LTM candidate target cell configuration.

[0201] 53. The method according to any of the foregoing embodiments further includes: Obtaining user data; and Forward user data to the host or user device.

[0202] Group D Implementation Examples 54. A user equipment for performing a cell handover procedure, comprising: Processing circuitry, configured to cause the user equipment to perform any step of any embodiment in Group A embodiments; and A power supply circuit configured to supply power to the processing circuit.

[0203] 55. A network node, the network node comprising: The processing circuitry is configured to cause the network node to perform any step of any embodiment in the Group B embodiments; A power supply circuit configured to supply power to the processing circuit.

[0204] 56. A user equipment (UE) for performing a cell handover procedure, the UE comprising: An antenna configured to transmit and receive wireless signals; A radio front-end circuit, which is connected to an antenna and to a processing circuit, and is configured to modulate the signal transmitted between the antenna and the processing circuit; The processing circuitry is configured to perform any step of any embodiment in any of the Group A embodiments; An input interface is connected to the processing circuitry and configured to allow information to be input into the UE for processing by the processing circuitry. An output interface, connected to the processing circuitry and configured to output information from the UE that has already been processed by the processing circuitry; and A battery, which is connected to the processing circuitry and configured to power the UE.

[0205] 57. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide over-the-top (OTT) services, the host comprising: Processing circuitry, the processing circuitry being configured to provide user data; and A network interface configured to initiate the transmission of user data to a network node in a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry configured to perform any operation of any embodiment in the Group B embodiments to transmit user data from a host to a UE.

[0206] 58. The host according to the foregoing embodiments, wherein: The host's processing circuitry is configured to execute host applications that provide user data; and The UE includes processing circuitry configured to execute a client application associated with a host application to receive the transmission of user data from the host.

[0207] 59. A method implemented in a host, the host being configured to operate in a communication system further comprising network nodes and user equipment (UE), the method comprising: Provide user data to the UE; and Transmission carrying user data to the UE is initiated via a cellular network including network nodes, wherein the network nodes perform any operation of any embodiment in the Group B embodiments to transmit user data from the host to the UE.

[0208] 60. The method according to the foregoing embodiments further includes transmitting user data provided by the host to the UE at a network node.

[0209] 61. The method according to any of the two preceding embodiments, wherein user data is provided at the host by executing a host application that interacts with a client application executed on the UE, and the client application is associated with the host application.

[0210] 62. A communication system configured to provide over-the-top (OTT) services, the communication system comprising: The host, comprising: Processing circuitry, configured to provide user data to a user equipment (UE) associated with a top-level service; and A network interface configured to initiate the transmission of user data to a cellular network node for transmission to a UE, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry configured to perform any operation of any embodiment in the Group B embodiments to transmit user data from the host to the UE.

[0211] 63. The communication system according to the foregoing embodiments further includes: Network nodes; and / or UE.

[0212] 64. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide over-the-top (OTT) services, the host comprising: Processing circuitry, the processing circuitry being configured to initiate the reception of user data; and A network interface configured to receive user data from a network node in a cellular network, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node being configured to perform any operation of any embodiment in any of the Group B embodiments to receive user data from a user equipment (UE) for a host.

[0213] 65. The host according to the foregoing two embodiments, wherein: The host's processing circuitry is configured to execute host applications that receive user data; and The host application is configured to interact with a client application running on the UE, and the client application is associated with the host application.

[0214] 66. The host according to any of the two embodiments described above, wherein initiating the reception of user data includes requesting user data.

[0215] 67. A method implemented by a host, the host being configured to operate in a communication system further comprising network nodes and user equipment (UE), the method comprising: At the host, the reception of user data from the UE is initiated. The user data originates from a transmission that the network node has already received from the UE, wherein the network node performs any step of any embodiment in any of the Group B embodiments to receive user data from the UE for the host.

[0216] 68. The method according to the foregoing embodiments further includes transmitting the received user data to the host at the network node.

[0217] 69. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide over-the-top (OTT) services, the host comprising: Processing circuitry, the processing circuitry being configured to provide user data; and A network interface configured to initiate the transmission of user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE includes a communication interface and processing circuitry configured to perform any operation of any embodiment in any of the Group A embodiments to receive user data from a host.

[0218] 70. The host according to the foregoing embodiments, wherein the cellular network further includes a network node configured to communicate with the UE to transmit user data from the host to the UE.

[0219] 71. The host according to the foregoing two embodiments, wherein: The host's processing circuitry is configured to execute host applications, thereby providing user data; and The host application is configured to interact with a client application running on the UE, and the client application is associated with the host application.

[0220] 72. A method implemented by a host operating in a communication system including network nodes and user equipment (UE), the method comprising: Provide user data to the UE; and The transmission carrying the user data to the UE is initiated via a cellular network including network nodes, wherein the UE performs any operation in any embodiment of the Group A embodiments to receive user data from the host.

[0221] 73. The method according to the foregoing embodiments further includes: At the host, a host application associated with the client application running on the UE is executed to receive user data from the host application.

[0222] 74. The method according to the foregoing embodiments further includes: At the host, input data is transmitted to the client application running on the UE. The input data is provided by the host application. User data is provided by the client application in response to input data from the host application.

[0223] 75. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide over-the-top (OTT) services, the host comprising: Processing circuitry, the processing circuitry being configured to provide user data; and A network interface configured to initiate the transmission of user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE includes a communication interface and processing circuitry, the communication interface and processing circuitry of the UE being configured to perform any step of any embodiment in any of the Group A embodiments to transmit user data to a host.

[0224] 76. The host according to the foregoing embodiments, wherein the cellular network further includes a network node configured to communicate with the UE to transmit user data from the UE to the host.

[0225] 77. The host according to the foregoing two embodiments, wherein: The host's processing circuitry is configured to execute host applications, thereby providing user data; and The host application is configured to interact with a client application running on the UE, and the client application is associated with the host application.

[0226] 78. A method implemented by a host, the host being configured to operate in a communication system further comprising network nodes and user equipment (UE), the method comprising: At the host, user data transmitted from the UE to the host via a network node is received, wherein the UE performs any step in any embodiment of the Group A embodiments to transmit the user data to the host.

[0227] 79. The method according to the foregoing embodiments further includes: At the host, a host application associated with the client application running on the UE is executed to receive user data from the UE.

[0228] While the computing devices (e.g., UE, network node, host) described herein may include the illustrated combinations of hardware components, other embodiments may include computing devices having different combinations of components. It should be understood that these computing devices may include any suitable combination of hardware and / or software required to perform the tasks, features, functions, and methods disclosed herein. The determination, calculation, acquisition, or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry that processes information and makes a determination as a result of said processing, for example, by converting acquired information into other information, comparing the acquired or converted information with information stored in a network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the acquired or converted information. Furthermore, although components are depicted as single boxes within a larger box or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, a computing device may include multiple different physical components constituting a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functionality of any component of such a component may be implemented in software or firmware, and computationally intensive functionality may be implemented in hardware.

[0229] In some embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein can be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored in memory, which in some embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality can be provided, for example, by hard-wiring, without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium. In any of those particular embodiments, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality regardless of whether instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium are executed. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are generally enjoyed by the computing device as a whole and / or by end users and wireless networks.

Claims

1. A method executed by a user equipment (UE) for performing a Layer 1 / Layer 2 triggered mobility LTM cell handover procedure, the method comprising: Receive configurations for one or more LTM candidate cells; Receive an LTM cell handover command that includes an indication of one of the one or more LTM candidate cell configurations; Apply the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration to switch to the cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration; as well as In response to the application of the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration, signaling is transmitted on the cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration, wherein the signaling indicates that the cell handover process is complete.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to receiving the LTM cell handover command, generating or preparing the signaling after applying the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration, after the UE has synchronized with the cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration, or in response to an indication from the MAC layer.

3. The method as described in claim 2, wherein, The indication from the MAC layer indicates that the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration has been applied and / or that the UE has synchronized with the cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing a random access procedure on the cell after applying the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration.

5. The method of claim 4, comprising sending the signaling after completing the random access procedure and / or after receiving a random access response and / or contention resolution information on the cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration.

6. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising generating a complete LTM candidate cell configuration based on the indicated LTM cell configuration and reference configuration.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, Applying the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration includes applying the complete LTM candidate cell configuration.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, The signaling includes one or more RRC messages and / or one or more RRCReconfigurationComplete messages and / or one or more MAC control elements (CE) and / or Layer 1 L1 signaling.

9. The method of any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising, in response to receiving the one or more LTM candidate cell configurations: Send signaling on the serving cell and / or the cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration to indicate that the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration has been received and / or decoded and / or applied; or For each of the one or more LTM candidate cell configurations, signaling is sent on the serving cell and / or the corresponding cell associated with the LTM candidate cell configuration to indicate that the LTM candidate cell configuration has been received and / or decoded and / or applied.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein, Receive the one or more LTM candidate cell configurations and / or the LTM cell handover commands from the serving cell and / or network nodes associated with the serving cell.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein, Sending the signaling on the cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration includes sending the signaling to the network node associated with the cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein, The application of the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration is performed by the RRC layer.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, In response to an instruction from a layer below the RRC layer, the RRC layer applies the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The indication from the layer below the RRC layer identifies the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration.

15. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein, After applying the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration, the RRC layer sends an indication to the layer below the RRC layer.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein, The indicated LTM candidate cell configuration or each of the one or more LTM candidate cell configurations includes one or more of the following: • Cell group configuration for primary cell group (MCG) or secondary cell group (SCG); • Serving cell configuration for SpCell, PCell, PSCell, or SCell; • Bandwidth configuration in BWP; • RRCReconfiguration message; • Measurement configuration; • Radio bearer configuration; • UE identifier or C-RNTI; • System information; • Timer configuration; • Another candidate cell configuration; • An instruction for the UE to perform a full configuration; • An indication for the UE to perform incremental configuration; • Reference configuration; and / or • Instructions on whether to perform L2 reset, MAC reset, partial MAC reset, full MAC reset, RLC rebuild and / or PDCP recovery or rebuild.

17. A method executed by a network node for inducing a user equipment (UE) to perform a Layer 1 / Layer 2 triggered mobility LTM cell handover procedure, wherein, The network node is associated with the serving cell of the UE, and the method includes: Send one or more LTM candidate cell configurations to the UE; Sending an LTM cell handover command to the UE, including an indication of one or more LTM candidate target cell configurations; and The UE receives signaling on the cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration, wherein the signaling indicates that the cell handover process is complete.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein, The signaling includes one or more RRC messages and / or one or more RRCReconfigurationComplete messages and / or one or more MAC control elements (CE) and / or Layer 1 L1 signaling.

19. A method executed by a network node, wherein, The network node is associated with a cell, which is associated with an L1 / L2 triggered mobility LTM candidate cell configuration for LTM cell handover procedures for user equipment (UE), and the method includes: The UE receives signaling on the cell associated with the LTM candidate cell configuration, wherein the signaling indicates that the cell handover process is complete.

20. The method of claim 19, comprising receiving the signaling after the UE has synchronized with the cell associated with the LTM candidate cell configuration.

21. The method of claim 19 or 20, wherein, The signaling includes one or more RRC messages and / or one or more RRCReconfigurationComplete messages and / or one or more MAC control elements (CE) and / or Layer 1 L1 signaling.

22. The method of any one of claims 19 to 21, further comprising receiving the signaling in response to the LTM candidate cell configuration, the LTM candidate cell configuration including or associated with an indication to transmit the signaling on the cell.

23. A computer program comprising instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 22.

24. A carrier comprising the computer program according to claim 23, wherein, The carrier includes one of electronic signals, optical signals, radio signals, or computer-readable storage media.

25. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having thereon storing the computer program of claim 23.

26. An apparatus for performing a Layer 1 / Layer 2 triggered mobility LTM cell handover procedure in a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising a processor and a memory, the memory containing instructions executable by the processor, such that the apparatus is operable to: Receive one or more LTM candidate target cell configurations; Receive an LTM cell handover command that includes an indication of one of the one or more LTM candidate cell configurations; Apply the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration to switch to the cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration; as well as In response to the application of the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration, signaling is transmitted on the cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration, wherein the signaling indicates that the cell handover process is complete.

27. The device as claimed in claim 26, wherein, The memory contains instructions executable by the processor, enabling the device to perform the method of any one of claims 2 to 16.

28. An apparatus in a network node for causing a user equipment (UE) to perform a Layer 1 / Layer 2 triggered mobility LTM cell handover procedure, wherein the network node is associated with the serving cell of the UE, the apparatus comprising a processor and a memory, the memory containing instructions executable by the processor, such that the apparatus is operable to: Send one or more LTM candidate target cell configurations to the UE; Sending an LTM cell handover command to the UE, including an indication of one or more LTM candidate target cell configurations; and The UE receives signaling on the cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration, wherein the signaling indicates that the cell handover process is complete.

29. The device as claimed in claim 28, wherein, The memory contains instructions executable by the processor, enabling the device to perform the method of claim 18.

30. A device in a network node, wherein, The network node is associated with a cell, which is associated with an L1 / L2 triggered mobility LTM candidate cell configuration for LTM cell handover procedures for user equipment (UE). The device includes a processor and a memory, the memory containing instructions executable by the processor, enabling the device to: The UE receives signaling on the cell associated with the LTM candidate cell configuration, wherein the signaling indicates that the cell handover process is complete.

31. The device as claimed in claim 30, wherein, The memory contains instructions executable by the processor, enabling the device to perform the method of any one of claims 20 to 22.

32. A device for performing a Layer 1 / Layer 2 triggered mobility LTM cell handover procedure in a user equipment (UE), the device being configured to: Receive one or more LTM candidate target cell configurations; Receive an LTM cell handover command that includes an indication of one of the one or more LTM candidate cell configurations; Apply the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration to switch to the cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration; as well as In response to the application of the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration, signaling is transmitted on the cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration, wherein the signaling indicates that the cell handover process is complete.

33. The device as claimed in claim 32, wherein, The device is configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 2 to 16.

34. An apparatus in a network node for enabling a user equipment (UE) to perform a Layer 1 / Layer 2 triggered mobility LTM cell handover procedure, wherein, The network node is associated with the serving cell of the UE, and the device is configured to: Send one or more LTM candidate target cell configurations to the UE; Send an LTM cell handover command to the UE, including an indication of one or more LTM candidate target cell configurations; as well as The UE receives signaling on the cell associated with the indicated LTM candidate cell configuration, wherein the signaling indicates that the cell handover process is complete.

35. The device as claimed in claim 34, wherein, The device is configured to perform the method of claim 18.

36. A device in a network node, wherein, The network node is associated with a cell, which is associated with a mobility LTM candidate cell configuration triggered by L1 / L2 for LTM cell handover procedures for user equipment (UE). The device is configured to: The UE receives signaling on the cell associated with the LTM candidate cell configuration, wherein the signaling indicates that the cell handover process is complete.

37. The device as claimed in claim 36, wherein, The device is configured to perform the method of any one of claims 20 to 22.

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