Enhanced connectivity

Abstract

Methods, systems, and storage media for connectivity enhancement between user equipment (UE) and a network are described. Other embodiments are also described and / or claimed.

Description

[0001] Related Applications

[0002] This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 752,245, filed on October 29, 2018, and entitled “CONNECTIVITY ENHANCEMENT,” the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to the field of wireless communication technology. Background Art

[0004] Embodiments described herein relate to, among other things, connectivity enhancement between user equipment (UE) and a network. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be used in conjunction with New Radio (NR) and Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems. Summary of the invention

[0005] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a device of a user equipment UE is provided. The device comprises: a memory, the memory is used to store information about the ability of the UE to support simultaneous communication with different cells, the information also includes the ability of the UE to support a unified parameter set or different uplink and downlink parameter sets; and a processing circuit, the processing circuit is coupled to the memory, and the processing circuit is configured to: retrieve the information from the memory; generate a message based on the information, the message including whether the UE supports simultaneous communication with different cells and whether the UE supports a unified parameter set or different uplink and downlink parameter sets; and before the handover between different cells is configured by a network node, encode the message for transmission to a base station BS.

[0006] According to an embodiment of the present invention, one or more computer-readable media are provided. The one or more computer-readable media store instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors, cause a base station BS to: receive a first message from a user equipment UE before configuring the UE to perform a handover between different cells, the first message including an indication of whether the UE supports simultaneous communication with different cells and whether the UE supports a uniform parameter set or different uplink and downlink parameter sets; based on the indication of whether the UE supports simultaneous communication with different cells and whether the UE supports a uniform parameter set or different uplink and downlink parameter sets, generate a second message including configuration information for a handover performed by the UE; and encode the second message for transmission to the UE.

[0007] According to an embodiment of the present invention, one or more computer-readable media are provided. The one or more computer-readable media store instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors, enable a user equipment UE to: generate a message including an indication of whether the UE supports simultaneous communication with different cells and whether the UE supports a unified parameter set or different uplink and downlink parameter sets; and encode the message for transmission to a base station BS before a handover between different cells is configured by a network node. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The embodiment will be more easily understood by the following specific implementation in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In order to facilitate this description, similar reference numerals represent similar structural elements. In each figure of the accompanying drawings, the embodiment is shown by way of example and not limitation.

[0009] Figure 1 and Figure 2 as well as Figure 3 An example of an operational flow / algorithm structure according to some embodiments is shown.

[0010] Figure 4 Depicted is the architecture of a system of networks according to some embodiments.

[0011] Figure 5 Depicted are examples of components of an apparatus according to some embodiments.

[0012] Figure 6 Depicted are examples of interfaces for baseband circuitry according to some embodiments.

[0013] Figure 7 A block diagram of components capable of reading instructions from a machine-readable medium or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and performing any one or more of the methods discussed herein is depicted according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] Embodiments discussed herein may relate to enhanced connectivity between a UE and a network.Other embodiments are also described and / or claimed.

[0015] The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. The same figure numbers may be used in different drawings to identify the same or similar elements. In the following description, specific details, such as specific structures, architectures, interfaces, technologies, etc., are set forth for the purpose of illustration rather than limitation, so as to provide a thorough understanding of the various aspects protected by the claims. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art who benefit from this disclosure that the various aspects of the invention protected by the claims may be practiced in other examples that deviate from these specific details. In some cases, descriptions of well-known devices, circuits, and methods are omitted so as not to obscure the description of the invention due to unnecessary details.

[0016] The various aspects of the exemplary embodiments will be described using terms commonly used by those skilled in the art to convey the essence of their work to other persons skilled in the art. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that alternative embodiments may be practiced using only some of the described aspects. For purposes of explanation, many specific quantities, materials, and configurations are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the exemplary embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that alternative embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other cases, well-known features may be omitted or simplified so as not to obscure the exemplary embodiments.

[0017] Furthermore, various operations will be described as multiple discrete operations in sequence in a manner that is most helpful for understanding the exemplary embodiments; however, the order of description should not be construed as implying that these operations are necessarily order-dependent. In particular, these operations do not necessarily have to be performed in the order presented.

[0018] The phrases "in various embodiments", "in some embodiments", etc. may refer to the same or different embodiments. Unless the context dictates otherwise, the terms "comprising", "having", and "including" are synonymous. The phrase "A and / or B" means (A), (B), or (A and B). The phrases "A / B" and "A or B" mean (A), (B), or (A and B), similar to the phrase "A and / or B". For the purposes of the present disclosure, the phrase "at least one of A and B" means (A), (B), or (A and B). The description may use the phrases "in one embodiment", "in an embodiment", "in some embodiments", and / or "in various embodiments", which may each refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments. In addition, the terms "comprising", "including", "having", etc. used with the embodiments of the present disclosure are synonymous.

[0019] Examples of embodiments may be described as processes, which are depicted as flow charts, flow diagrams, data flow diagrams, structure diagrams, or block diagrams. Although a flow chart may describe operations as sequential processes, multiple of these operations may be performed in parallel, concurrently, or simultaneously. In addition, the order of the operations may be rearranged. A process may terminate when its operations are completed, but may also have additional steps not included in the accompanying drawings. A process may correspond to a method, function, procedure, subroutine, subprogram, etc. When a process corresponds to a function, its termination may correspond to the function returning to the calling function and / or the main function.

[0020] Examples of embodiments may be described in the general context of computer executable instructions (such as program codes, software modules, and / or functional processes) executed by one or more of the above-mentioned circuits. Program codes, software modules, and / or functional processes may include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific data types. The program codes, software modules, and / or functional processes discussed herein may be implemented using existing hardware in existing communication networks. For example, the program codes, software modules, and / or functional processes discussed herein may be implemented using existing hardware at existing network elements or control nodes.

[0021] In conventional handover operations for long term evolution (LTE) systems, a user equipment (UE) drops the connection to a source cell after receiving a handover command and then attempts to connect to a target cell. There may be some interruption time during this process (e.g., after receiving the handover command and before the UE can start operation in the target cell). In order to reduce the interruption time associated with, for example, LTE, NR, RACH-free handover, break-first handover, or other situations, a possible solution according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is that the UE maintains a connection with the source cell until the UE can start data transmission / reception to / from the target cell. In some embodiments, the UE may be able to support simultaneous transmission / reception to / from two cells in an NR or LTE system.

[0022] In some embodiments, some (but not necessarily all) UEs may have the complexity of supporting simultaneous communications with two or more cells (e.g., transmission / reception to / from them). For example, some aspects that may need to be addressed specifically for two intra-frequency cells (or intra-band situations) include AGC, timing, beamforming, mixed parameter sets (numerology), and other factors. Therefore, before configuring a handover, the network needs to know whether a particular UE is capable of supporting simultaneous communications with multiple cells. The embodiments of the present disclosure help reduce the interruption time during handover of UEs capable of such simultaneous communications, etc.

[0023] Embodiment 1: If the UE is capable of supporting simultaneous transmission / reception to / from different cells, a new per-UE capability is introduced.

[0024] In some embodiments, unlike coordinated multi-point (CoMP) operation, per-UE capabilities may be used to indicate to the network whether the UE is capable of supporting simultaneous transmission / reception of different data packets from different cells, typically during handover.

[0025] In this example, the capabilities may include multiple indications covering different scenarios, such as the UE's ability to communicate: intra-frequency and inter-frequency, intra-band and inter-band, FR1 (sub-6GHz) and FR2 (millimeter wave), communications involving a unified parameter set and a hybrid parameter set, and other capabilities.

[0026] In the case where the UE supports simultaneous transmission / reception to / from two intra-frequency cells (or similar in-band situations), the UE may need to use one RF chain to handle transmission / reception to / from both cells. In some cases, bottlenecks may occur due to AGC issues. For example, if the power offset is quite large (e.g., greater than 8dB), it may be challenging for all UEs to successfully receive data from both cells. Note that so many categories of UEs are supported in LTE (and in the future also in NR). Due to limited HW and SW resources, some low-cost / complexity UEs may not be able to support this situation.

[0027] In other cases, bottlenecks may occur due to timing issues. For example, a UE may typically observe different timing from different cells, and using one or two RF chains for two intra-frequency cells to maintain two sets of timing advances is not a typical implementation. However, maintaining transmissions based on the timing of one cell may result in degradation of the uplink performance of another cell.

[0028] Bottlenecks may also occur due to beamforming issues. For example, to overcome path loss in the high frequency range, both the UE and the base station need to use spatial beamforming when transmitting and receiving, which can be achieved by using antenna panels. However, due to cost and implementation complexity, some UEs may not support multiple Rx / Tx beams from / to a single or multiple cells at the same time.

[0029] Bottlenecks may also occur due to mixed parameter sets. For example, if two cells have different parameter sets, not all UEs may necessarily support data transmission / reception with different parameter sets. There may be additional restrictions, and not all UEs operating in the network may necessarily support simultaneous communication with multiple cells. Therefore, before configuring a handover, the network needs to know whether the UE is capable of supporting such simultaneous communication.

[0030] In some embodiments, the UE may use a Boolean variable to indicate its capabilities, where a "true" value indicates that the UE can support simultaneous transmission / reception to / from different cells, and "false" means that the UE cannot support simultaneous transmission / reception to / from different cells. For example, in a handover procedure, the term "different cells" may include "source cell and target cell". Examples of Boolean variables that may be used in conjunction with some embodiments are shown in Table 1 below.

[0031]

[0032] Table 1

[0033] Embodiments 2-5 (described in more detail below) may utilize separate information elements (IEs) that indicate the capabilities of the UE in different scenarios. These embodiments may be used alone or in conjunction. For example, considering embodiments 2 and 4 in conjunction, a re-capability may be introduced to indicate whether the UE can support simultaneous transmission / reception to / from different cells on the same carrier frequency (or on the same frequency band) in FR1. The capability of simultaneous Tx / Rx may be further divided into two parts (e.g., one for simultaneous Tx and the other for simultaneous Rx).

[0034] Embodiment 2: If the UE supports simultaneous transmission / reception to / from different cells (or using different Tx / Rx beams) in FR2 (or in mmWave), a new per-UE capability is introduced.

[0035] In some embodiments, the UE may indicate whether the UE is capable of generating multiple Tx / Rx directions at a given time. This feature may be used for handover, as well as for carrier aggregation / dual connectivity (CA / DC) operation, where both cells are serving cells. The new capability may be indicated by the indicator examples shown in Tables 2, 3, or 4 below:

[0036]

[0037] Table 2

[0038]

[0039] Table 3

[0040]

[0041] Table 4

[0042] Embodiment 3: If the UE supports simultaneous transmission / reception to / from different cells with different uplink and downlink parameter sets on SSB and / or data, a new per-UE capability is introduced.

[0043] In previous solutions, the UE capabilities associated with parameter sets only covered CA (both UL and DL), SSB and data, BWP, etc. In contrast, embodiments of the present disclosure may indicate whether the UE supports simultaneous transmission / reception to / from different cells with different uplink and downlink parameter sets on SSB and / or data.

[0044] Embodiment 4: When handover is performed with simultaneous transmission / reception to / from the source cell and the target cell, the interruption time may be reduced (or even not allowed).

[0045] When switching according to the embodiments described herein, it is expected that the outage time will be reduced or even eliminated based on the current outage time:

[0046] Tinterrupt = T 搜索 +T IU +20ms

[0047] in:

[0048] T 搜索 is the time required to search for the target cell when the UE receives the handover command and the target cell is not known. If the target cell is known, then T 搜索 = 0ms. If the target cell is unknown and the signal quality is sufficient for successful cell detection on the first attempt, then T 搜索 = 80ms. Regardless of whether DRX is being used by the UE, T 搜索 The search time should still be based on the non-DRX target cell.

[0049] T IU is the interruption uncertainty in acquiring the first available PRACH opportunity in the new cell. IU Can be up to 30ms.

[0050] In another example of determining the outage time of NR:

[0051] T 中断 =T 搜索 +T IU +20+T Δ ms

[0052] in:

[0053] T 搜索 is the time required to search for the target cell when the UE receives the handover command and the target cell is not known. If the target cell is known, then T 搜索 = 0ms. If the target cell is an unknown intra-frequency cell and the signal quality is sufficient for successful cell detection on the first attempt, then T 搜索 =T rs+2ms. If the target cell is an unknown inter-frequency cell and the signal quality is sufficient for successful cell detection on the first attempt, T 搜索 =[3*T rs +2]ms. Regardless of whether DRX is being used by the UE, T 搜索 The search time should still be based on the non-DRX target cell.

[0054] T Δ It is the time used for fine time tracking and obtaining complete timing information of the target cell. Δ =T rs . T IU is the interruption uncertainty in acquiring the first available PRACH opportunity in the new cell. IU Can be at most x*10+10ms. x is defined in Table 6.3.3.2-2 of TS38.211 [6].

[0055] If the UE has provided SMTC configuration for the target cell before or during the handover command, T rs is the SMTC periodicity of the target NR cell, otherwise the requirements in this clause apply with Trs = 5ms, unless the SSB transmission periodicity is not 5ms. If the UE has both SMTC configuration and SSB transmission periodicity, the requirements shall be based on the SMTC periodicity.

[0056] Table 5 below provides examples of parameter definitions that may be used in conjunction with embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0057]

[0058]

[0059] Table 5

[0060] In some embodiments, in order to extend the capability of covering both the source cell and the target cell, a new separate indicator may be introduced, an example of which is shown in Table 6 below.

[0061]

[0062] Table 6

[0063] This can also be achieved by extending the current capabilities as shown in Table 7 below.

[0064]

[0065] Table 7

[0066] Figure 4The architecture of a system 400 of a network according to some embodiments is shown. System 400 is shown to include user equipment (UE) 401 and UE 402. UE 401 and 402 are shown as smart phones (e.g., handheld touch screen mobile computing devices that can connect to one or more cellular networks), but these UEs can also include any mobile or non-mobile computing devices, such as personal data assistants (PDAs), pagers, laptop computers, desktop computers, wireless handsets, or any computing device that includes a wireless communication interface.

[0067] In some embodiments, any of UEs 401 and 402 may include an Internet of Things (IoT) UE, which may include a network access layer designed for low-power IoT applications that utilize transient UE connections. The IoT UE may utilize technologies such as machine-to-machine (M2M) or machine-type communication (MTC) to exchange data with an MTC server or device via a public land mobile network (PLMN), proximity-based services (ProSe) or device-to-device (D2D) communication, a sensor network, or an IoT network. The M2M or MTC data exchange may be a machine-initiated data exchange. The IoT network describes interconnected IoT UEs, which may include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices (within the Internet infrastructure) with transient connections. The IoT UE may execute background applications (e.g., keep-alive messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate connectivity to the IoT network.

[0068] UE 401 and 402 may be configured to connect, e.g., be communicatively coupled, to a radio access network (RAN) 410—RAN 410 may be, e.g., an evolved universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN), a next generation RAN (NGRAN), or some other type of RAN. UE 401 and 402 utilize connection 403 and connection 404, respectively, each of which includes a physical communication interface or layer (discussed in further detail below); in this example, connection 403 and connection 404 are shown as air interfaces to achieve communicatively coupling, and may be consistent with a cellular communication protocol, such as a global system for mobile communications (GSM) protocol, a code division multiple access (CDMA) network protocol, a push-to-talk (PTT) protocol, a cellular PTT (POC) protocol, a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) protocol, a 3GPP long term evolution (LTE) protocol, a fifth generation (5G) protocol, a new radio (NR) protocol, etc.

[0069] In this embodiment, UE 401 and UE 402 may also directly exchange communication data via ProSe interface 405. ProSe interface 405 may alternatively be referred to as a sidelink interface including one or more logical channels including, but not limited to, a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSDCH), and a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH).

[0070] UE 402 is shown as being configured to access access point (AP) 406 via connection 407. Connection 407 may include a local wireless connection, such as a connection consistent with any IEEE 802.11 protocol, where AP 406 would include wireless fidelity. In this example, AP 406 is shown connected to the Internet and not to the core network of the wireless system (described in further detail below).

[0071] The RAN 410 may include one or more access nodes that enable connection 403 and connection 404. These access nodes (ANs) may be referred to as base stations (BS), NodeBs, evolved NodeBs (eNBs), next generation NodeBs (gNBs), RAN nodes, etc., and may include ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations that provide coverage within a geographic area (e.g., a cell). The RAN 410 may include one or more RAN nodes (e.g., macro RAN nodes 411) for providing macro cells, and one or more RAN nodes (e.g., low power (LP) RAN nodes 412) for providing femto cells or pico cells (e.g., cells with smaller coverage areas, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth than macro cells).

[0072] Either of the RAN nodes 411 and 412 may terminate the air interface protocol and may be the first point of contact for the UEs 401 and 402. In some embodiments, either of the RAN nodes 411 and 412 may fulfill various logical functions of the RAN 410, including but not limited to Radio Network Controller (RNC) functions such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management and data packet scheduling, and mobility management.

[0073] According to some embodiments, UEs 401 and 402 may be configured to communicate with each other or with any of RAN nodes 411 and 412 over a multi-carrier communication channel using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals according to various communication techniques, such as, but not limited to, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) communication techniques (e.g., for downlink communications) or single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) communication techniques (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communications), although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. OFDM signals may include multiple orthogonal subcarriers.

[0074] In some embodiments, a downlink resource grid may be used for downlink transmissions from either of RAN node 411 and RAN node 412 to UE 401 and UE 402, while uplink transmissions may utilize similar techniques. The grid may be a time-frequency grid, referred to as a resource grid or a time-frequency resource grid, which is a physical resource in the downlink in each time slot. For OFDM systems, such a time-frequency plane representation is common practice, which makes wireless resource allocation intuitive. Each column and each row of the resource grid corresponds to an OFDM symbol and an OFDM subcarrier, respectively. The duration of the resource grid in the time domain corresponds to a time slot in a radio frame. The smallest time-frequency unit in the resource grid is represented as a resource element. Each resource grid includes a plurality of resource blocks, which describe the mapping of certain physical channels to resource elements. Each resource block includes a set of resource elements; in the frequency domain, this may represent the minimum amount of resources that can currently be allocated. Such resource blocks are used to transmit several different physical downlink channels.

[0075] The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) may deliver user data and higher layer signaling to UE 401 and UE 402. The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) may carry information about the transport format and resource allocation related to the PDSCH channel, among other things. It may also inform UE 401 and UE 402 of the transport format, resource allocation, and H-ARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) information related to the uplink shared channel. Typically, downlink scheduling (allocation of control and shared channel resource blocks to UE 402 within a cell) may be performed at either of RAN nodes 411 and 412 based on channel quality information fed back from either of UE 401 and 402. Downlink resource allocation information may be sent on the PDCCH for (e.g., allocated to) each of UE 401 and UE 402.

[0076] PDCCH can use control channel elements (CCE) to transmit control information. Before being mapped to resource elements, the PDCCH complex-valued symbols can first be organized into quadruplets, which can then be arranged using a sub-block interleaver for rate matching. One or more of these CCEs can be used to transmit each PDCCH, where each CCE can correspond to four sets of nine physical resource elements, called resource element groups (REGs). Four quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) symbols can be mapped to each REG. Depending on the size of the downlink control information (DCI) and channel conditions, one or more CCEs can be used to transmit the PDCCH. There may be four or more different PDCCH formats defined in LTE with different numbers of CCEs (e.g., aggregation levels, L=1, 2, 4, or 8).

[0077] Some embodiments may use the concept of resource allocation for control channel information, which is an extension of the above concept. For example, some embodiments may utilize an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH) that uses PDSCH resources for control information transmission. One or more enhanced control channel elements (ECCEs) may be used to transmit EPDCCH. Similar to the above, each ECCE may correspond to four sets of nine physical resource elements, referred to as enhanced resource element groups (EREGs). In some cases, ECCEs may have other numbers of EREGs.

[0078] RAN 410 is shown as being communicatively coupled to a core network (CN) 420 via an S1 interface 413. In various embodiments, CN 420 may be an evolved packet core (EPC) network, a next generation packet core (NPC) network, or some other type of CN. In this embodiment, S1 interface 413 is divided into two parts: S1-U interface 414, which carries traffic data between RAN node 411 and RAN node 412 and serving gateway (S-GW) 422; and S1-mobility management entity (MME) interface 415, which is a signaling interface between RAN nodes 411 and 412 and MME 421.

[0079] In this embodiment, CN 420 includes MME 421, S-GW 422, Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (P-GW) 423 and Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 424. MME 421 may be similar in function to the control plane of a conventional Serving General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Node (SGSN). MME 421 may manage mobility aspects in access, such as gateway selection and tracking area list management. HSS 424 may include a database for network users, which includes subscription-related information for supporting network entities in handling communication sessions. Depending on the number of mobile subscribers, the capacity of the equipment, the organization of the network, etc., CN420 may include one or more HSS 424. For example, HSS 424 may provide support for routing / roaming, authentication, authorization, naming / addressing resolution, location dependency, etc.

[0080] The S-GW 422 may terminate the S1 interface 413 towards the RAN 410 and route data packets between the RAN 410 and the CN 420. In addition, the S-GW 422 may be a local mobility anchor for inter-RAN node handovers and may also provide an anchor for inter-3GPP mobility. Other responsibilities may include lawful interception, charging, and enforcement of certain policies.

[0081] The P-GW 423 may terminate the SGi interface towards the PDN. The P-GW 423 may route data packets between the EPC network and an external network such as a network including an application server 430 (alternatively referred to as an application function (AF)) via an Internet Protocol (IP) interface 425. Generally, the application server 430 may be an element that provides applications that use IP bearer resources with the core network (e.g., UMTS packet service (PS) domain, LTE PS data service, etc.). In this embodiment, the P-GW 423 is shown as being communicatively coupled to the application server 430 via an IP communication interface 425. The application server 430 may also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) sessions, PTT sessions, group communication sessions, social networking services, etc.) for UEs 401 and 402 via CN420.

[0082] The P-GW 423 may also be a node for policy enforcement and charging data collection. The Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCRF) 426 is a policy and charging control element of the CN 420. In a non-roaming scenario, there may be a single PCRF in a domestic public land mobile network (HPLMN) associated with an Internet Protocol Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session of the UE. In a roaming scenario with local traffic breakout, there may be two PCRFs associated with the UE's IP-CAN session: a domestic PCRF (H-PCRF) in the HPLMN and a visited PCRF (V-PCRF) in a visited public land mobile network (VPLMN). The PCRF 426 may be communicatively coupled to the application server 430 via the P-GW 423. The application server 430 may signal the PCRF 426 to indicate a new service flow and select appropriate quality of service (QoS) and charging parameters. PCRF 426 may configure the rules to a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF) (not shown) with the appropriate Communication Flow Template (TFT) and QoS Class Identifier (QCI), which initiates the QoS and charging specified by application server 430 .

[0083] Figure 5 Exemplary components of a device 500 according to some embodiments are shown. In some embodiments, the device 500 may include an application circuit 502, a baseband circuit 504, a radio frequency ("RF") circuit 506, a front-end module ("FEM") circuit 508, one or more antennas 510, and a power management circuit ("PMC") 512 (at least coupled together as shown). The components of the illustrated device 500 may be included in a UE or a RAN node. In some embodiments, the device 500 may include fewer elements (e.g., the RAN node cannot utilize the application circuit 502, but includes a processor / controller to process IP data received from the EPC). In some embodiments, the device 500 may include additional elements, such as, for example, a memory / storage device, a display, a camera, a sensor, or an input / output (I / O) interface. In other embodiments, the components described below may be included in more than one device (e.g., the circuit may be separately included in more than one device for a specific implementation of a cloud-RAN (C-RAN)).

[0084] The application circuit 502 may include one or more application processors. For example, the application circuit 502 may include circuits such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processor may include any combination of general-purpose processors and special-purpose processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). The processor may be coupled to or may include a memory / storage device, and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage device to enable various applications or operating systems to run on the device 500. In some embodiments, the processor of the application circuit 502 may process IP data packets received from the EPC.

[0085] The baseband circuit 504 may include circuits such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The baseband circuit 504 may include one or more baseband processors or control logic components to process baseband signals received from the receive signal path of the RF circuit 506 and generate baseband signals for the transmit signal path of the RF circuit 506. The baseband processing circuit 504 may interact with the application circuit 502 to generate and process baseband signals and control the operation of the RF circuit 506. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuit 504 may include a third generation (3G) baseband processor 504A, a fourth generation (4G) baseband processor 504B, a fifth generation (5G) baseband processor 504C, or other baseband processors 504D of other existing generations, generations under development, or generations to be developed in the future (e.g., second generation (2G), sixth generation (6G), etc.). The baseband circuit 504 (e.g., one or more of the baseband processors 504A-504D) may handle various radio control functions that enable communication with one or more radio networks via the RF circuit 506. In other embodiments, some or all of the functions of the baseband processors 504A-D may be included in a module stored in the memory 504G and may be executed via the central processing unit (CPU) 504E. The radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation / demodulation, encoding / decoding, radio frequency shifting, etc. In some embodiments, the modulation / demodulation circuit of the baseband circuit 504 may include fast Fourier transform (FFT), precoding, or constellation mapping / demapping functions. In some embodiments, the encoding / decoding circuit of the baseband circuit 504 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, or low-density parity check (LDPC) encoder / decoder functions. The implementation of the modulation / demodulation and encoder / decoder functions is not limited to these examples, and may include other suitable functions in other embodiments.

[0086] In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 504 may include one or more audio digital signal processors ("DSPs") 504F. The audio DSP 504F may include elements for compression / decompression and echo cancellation, and may include other suitable processing elements in other embodiments. In some embodiments, the components of the baseband circuitry may be appropriately combined in a single chip, a single chipset, or disposed on the same circuit board. In some embodiments, some or all of the components of the baseband circuitry 504 and the application circuitry 502 may be implemented together, such as on a system on a chip (SOC).

[0087] In some embodiments, the baseband circuit 504 may provide communications compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuit 504 may support communications with an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (EUTRAN) or other wireless metropolitan area network (WMAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), wireless personal area network (WPAN). Embodiments in which the baseband circuit 504 is configured to support radio communications of more than one wireless protocol may be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuits.

[0088] RF circuit 506 can communicate with a wireless network through a non-solid medium using modulated electromagnetic radiation. In various embodiments, RF circuit 506 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc. to facilitate communication with a wireless network. RF circuit 506 may include a receive signal path, which may include circuits that down-convert RF signals received from FEM circuit 508 and provide baseband signals to baseband circuit 504. RF circuit 506 may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuits that up-convert baseband signals provided by baseband circuit 504 and provide RF output signals for transmission to FEM circuit 508.

[0089] In some embodiments, the receive signal path of the RF circuit 506 may include a mixer circuit 506a, an amplifier circuit 506b, and a filter circuit 506c. In some embodiments, the transmit signal path of the RF circuit 506 may include a filter circuit 506c and a mixer circuit 506a. The RF circuit 506 may also include a synthesizer circuit 506d for synthesizing the frequencies used by the mixer circuit 506a of the receive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 506a of the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert the RF signal received from the FEM circuit 508 based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuit 506d. The amplifier circuit 506b may be configured to amplify the down-converted signal, and the filter circuit 506c may be a low pass filter (LPF) or a band pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signal to generate an output baseband signal. The output baseband signal may be provided to the baseband circuit 504 for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signal may be a zero frequency baseband signal, although this is not required.In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 506a of the receive signal path may include a passive mixer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0090] In some embodiments, mixer circuit 506a of the transmit signal path can be configured to upconvert an input baseband signal based on a synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuit 506d to generate an RF output signal for FEM circuit 508. The baseband signal can be provided by baseband circuit 504 and can be filtered by filter circuit 506c.

[0091] In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 506a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 506a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for orthogonal down-conversion and up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 506a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 506a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image suppression (e.g., Hartley image suppression). In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 506a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 506a of the transmit signal path may be arranged for direct down-conversion and direct up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 506a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 506a of the transmit signal path may be configured for superheterodyne operation.

[0092] In some embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternative embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be digital baseband signals. In these alternative embodiments, the RF circuit 506 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuits, and the baseband circuit 504 may include a digital baseband interface to communicate with the RF circuit 506.

[0093] In some dual-mode embodiments, separate radio IC circuits may be provided to process signals for each spectrum, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0094] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 506d may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional N / N+1 synthesizer, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect, as other types of frequency synthesizers may also be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuit 506d may be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

[0095] Synthesizer circuit 506d may be configured to synthesize an output frequency based on the frequency input and the divider control input for use by mixer circuit 506a of RF circuit 506. In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 506d may be a fractional-N / N+1 synthesizer.

[0096] In some embodiments, the frequency input may be provided by a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), although this is not required. The divider control input may be provided by the baseband circuit 504 or the application processor 502 according to the desired output frequency. In some embodiments, the divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a lookup table based on the channel indicated by the application processor 502.

[0097] The synthesizer circuit 506d of the RF circuit 506 may include a frequency divider, a delay locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer, and a phase accumulator. In some embodiments, the frequency divider may be a dual-mode frequency divider (DMD), and the phase accumulator may be a digital phase accumulator (DPA). In some embodiments, the DMD may be configured to divide the input signal by N or N+1 (e.g., based on a carry) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some example embodiments, the DLL may include a cascaded, tunable, delay element, a phase detector, a charge pump, and a set of D-type flip-flops. In these embodiments, the delay element may be configured to divide the VCO cycle into Nd equal phase groups, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. In this way, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

[0098] In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuit 506d can be configured to generate a carrier frequency as the output frequency, while in other embodiments, the output frequency can be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and can be used with a quadrature generator and divider circuit to generate multiple signals with multiple different phases relative to each other at the carrier frequency. In some embodiments, the output frequency can be the LO frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, the RF circuit 506 can include an IQ / polarity converter.

[0099] The FEM circuitry 508 may include a receive signal path that may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas 510, amplify the received signals, and provide an amplified version of the received signals to the RF circuitry 506 for further processing. The FEM circuitry 508 may also include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry configured to amplify signals provided by the RF circuitry 506 for transmission for transmission by one or more of the one or more antennas 510. In various embodiments, amplification by either the transmit signal path or the receive signal path may be accomplished only in the RF circuitry 506, only in the FEM 508, or in both the RF circuitry 506 and the FEM 508.

[0100] In some embodiments, the FEM circuit 508 may include a TX / RX switch to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. The FEM circuit 508 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuit 508 may include a low noise amplifier (LNA) to amplify the received RF signal and provide the amplified received RF signal as an output (e.g., to the RF circuit 506). The transmit signal path of the FEM circuit 508 may include a power amplifier (PA) for amplifying an input RF signal (e.g., provided by the RF circuit 506); and one or more filters for generating an RF signal for subsequent transmission (e.g., through one or more of the one or more antennas 510).

[0101] In some embodiments, PMC 512 can manage the power provided to baseband circuit 504. Specifically, PMC 512 can control power selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion. When device 500 is capable of being powered by a battery, for example, when the device is included in a UE, PMC 512 can generally be included. PMC 512 can improve power conversion efficiency while providing the desired specific implementation size and heat dissipation characteristics.

[0102] Figure 5PMC 512 is shown coupled only to baseband circuit 504. However, in other embodiments, PMC 512 may additionally or alternatively be coupled to other components (such as, but not limited to, application circuit 502, RF circuit 506, or FEM 508) and perform similar power management operations.

[0103] In some embodiments, the PMC 512 may control or otherwise be part of various power saving mechanisms of the device 500. For example, if the device 500 is in the RRC_Connected state, where the device is still connected to the RAN node as expected to receive traffic in the near future, then after a period of inactivity, the device may enter a state known as discontinuous reception mode (DRX). During this state, the device 500 may be powered off for short time intervals, thereby saving power.

[0104] If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time, the device 500 may transition to the RRC_Idle state, in which the device is disconnected from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback, handover, etc. The device 500 enters a very low power state and performs paging, in which the device wakes up periodically again to listen to the network and then powers down again. The device 500 cannot receive data in this state, and in order to receive data, it must transition back to the RRC Connected state.

[0105] An additional power saving mode can keep a device from using the network for longer than the paging interval (which can range from a few seconds to several hours). During this time, the device is completely unable to connect to the network and can be completely powered down. Any data sent during this time will be significantly delayed, and it is assumed that the delay is acceptable.

[0106] The processor of the application circuit 502 and the processor of the baseband circuit 504 can be used to execute elements of one or more instances of the protocol stack. For example, the processor of the baseband circuit 504 can be used alone or in combination to perform layer 3, layer 2, or layer 1 functions, while the processor of the application circuit 502 can utilize data received from these layers (e.g., packet data) and further perform layer 4 functions (e.g., transport communication protocol (TCP) and user datagram protocol (UDP) layers). As mentioned herein, layer 3 may include a radio resource control (RRC) layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 2 may include a medium access control (MAC) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 1 may include a physical (PHY) layer of a UE / RAN node, which will be described in further detail below.

[0107] Figure 6An exemplary interface of a baseband circuit according to some embodiments is shown. As discussed above, Figure 5 The baseband circuit 504 may include processors 504A-504E and a memory 504G used by the processors. Each of the processors 504A-504E may include a memory interface 604A-604E for sending / receiving data to / from the memory 504G, respectively.

[0108] The baseband circuit 504 may also include: one or more interfaces to communicate with other circuits / devices, such as a memory interface 612 (e.g., an interface for sending / receiving data to / from a memory external to the baseband circuit 504); an application circuit interface 614 (e.g., an interface for sending / receiving data to / from a memory external to the baseband circuit 504); Figure 5 RF circuit interface 616 (for example, for sending / receiving data to / from the application circuit 502); Figure 5 an interface for sending / receiving data to / from a near field communication (NFC) component, Components (e.g. Low power consumption), components and other communication components to send / receive data); and a power management interface 620 (eg, an interface for sending / receiving power or control signals to / from PMC 512).

[0109] Figure 7 is a block diagram illustrating components capable of reading instructions from a machine-readable medium or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and performing any one or more of the methods discussed herein, according to some exemplary embodiments. Specifically, Figure 7 A schematic diagram of hardware resources 700 is shown, including one or more processors (or processor cores) 710, one or more memory / storage devices 720, and one or more communication resources 730, each of which may be communicatively coupled via a bus 740. For embodiments in which node virtualization (e.g., NFV) is utilized, a hypervisor 702 may be executed to provide an execution environment for one or more network slices / sub-slices to utilize hardware resources 700.

[0110] Processor 710 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP) (such as a baseband processor), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor, or any suitable combination thereof) may include, for example, processor 712 and processor 714.

[0111] The memory / storage device 720 may include main memory, disk storage, or any suitable combination thereof. The memory / storage device 720 may include, but is not limited to, any type of volatile or non-volatile memory, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state storage, etc.

[0112] The communication resources 730 may include an interconnect or network interface component or other suitable device to communicate with one or more peripheral devices 704 or one or more databases 706 via the network 708. For example, the communication resources 730 may include a wired communication component (e.g., for coupling via a universal serial bus (USB)), a cellular communication component, an NFC component, Components (e.g. Low power consumption), components and other communication components.

[0113] The instructions 750 may include software, programs, applications, applet, applications, or other executable code for causing at least any one of the processors 710 to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. The instructions 750 may reside in whole or in part in at least one of the processors 710 (e.g., in a cache memory of the processor), the memory / storage device 720, or any suitable combination thereof. In addition, any portion of the instructions 750 may be transmitted to the hardware resources 700 from any combination of the peripheral device 704 or the database 706. Thus, the memory of the processor 710, the memory / storage device 720, the peripheral device 704, and the database 706 are examples of computer-readable and machine-readable media.

[0114] In various embodiments, Figures 4 to 7 equipment / components, especially Figure 6 The baseband circuit can be used to practice all or part of Figures 1 to 3 Any of the depicted operational flows / algorithm structures.

[0115] Figure 1 An example of an operational flow / algorithm structure that may be performed by a user equipment (UE) according to some embodiments is depicted in . In this example, the operational flow / algorithm structure 100 may include retrieving information about the UE's ability to support simultaneous communications with different cells from a memory at 105. The operational flow / algorithm structure 100 may also include generating a message based on the information at 110, the message including an indication of whether the UE supports simultaneous communications with different cells. The operational flow / algorithm structure 100 may also include encoding the message at 115 for transmission to a next generation Node B (gNB).

[0116] Figure 2 Another example of an operational flow / algorithm structure that may be performed by a gNB according to some embodiments is depicted in . In this example, the operational flow / algorithm structure 200 may include receiving a first message from a user equipment (UE) at 205, the first message including an indication of whether the UE supports simultaneous communication with different cells. The operational flow / algorithm structure 200 may also include, at 210, generating a second message including configuration information for a handover to be performed by the UE based on the indication of whether the UE supports simultaneous communication with different cells. The operational flow / algorithm structure 200 may also include encoding the second message for transmission to the UE at 215.

[0117] Figure 3 Another example of an operational flow / algorithm structure that may be performed by a UE according to some embodiments is depicted in . In this example, the operational flow / algorithm structure 300 may include generating a message including an indication of whether the UE supports simultaneous communication with different cells at 305. The operational flow / algorithm structure 300 may also include encoding the message for transmission to the gNB at 310.

[0118] Example

[0119] Some non-limiting examples are provided below.

[0120] Embodiment 1 includes a device of a user equipment (UE), comprising: a memory for storing information about the UE's ability to support simultaneous communication with different cells; and a processing circuit coupled to the memory to: retrieve information from the memory; generate a message based on the information, the message including an indication of whether the UE supports simultaneous communication with different cells; and encode the message for transmission to a next generation Node B (gNB).

[0121] Embodiment 2 includes an apparatus according to embodiment 1 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the information is used to indicate whether the UE supports transmission to two or more different cells, or whether the UE supports reception from two or more different cells.

[0122] Embodiment 3 includes an apparatus according to embodiment 1 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the information is further used to indicate the capability of the UE to perform intra-frequency communication or inter-frequency communication.

[0123] Embodiment 4 includes an apparatus according to embodiment 1 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the information is further used to indicate the capability of the UE to perform intra-band communication or inter-band communication.

[0124] Embodiment 5 includes an apparatus according to embodiment 1 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the information is further used to indicate the capability of the UE to perform sub-6 GHz (FR1) communication or millimeter wave (FR2) communication.

[0125] Embodiment 6 includes an apparatus according to embodiment 1 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the information is further used to indicate the capability of the UE to communicate using a uniform parameter set or a hybrid parameter set.

[0126] Embodiment 7 includes an apparatus according to embodiment 1 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the information is also used to indicate the ability of the UE to communicate using different transmit (Tx) beams or receive (Rx) beams simultaneously.

[0127] Embodiment 8 includes one or more computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a next-generation Node B (gNB) to: receive a first message from a user equipment (UE), the first message including whether the UE

[0128] an indication of supporting simultaneous communication with different cells; generating a second message including configuration information for switching performed by the UE based on the indication of whether the UE supports simultaneous communication with different cells; and encoding the second message for transmission to the UE.

[0129] Embodiment 9 includes one or more computer-readable media according to embodiment 8 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the indication of whether the UE supports simultaneous communication with different cells includes the following indication: whether the UE supports transmission to two or more different cells, or whether the UE supports reception from two or more different cells.

[0130] Embodiment 10 includes one or more computer-readable media according to embodiment 8 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the indication of whether the UE supports simultaneous communication with different cells includes the following indication: the capability of the UE for intra-frequency communication or inter-frequency communication.

[0131] Embodiment 11 includes one or more computer-readable media according to embodiment 8 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the indication of whether the UE supports simultaneous communication with different cells includes the following indication: the capability of the UE for intra-band communication or inter-band communication.

[0132] Embodiment 12 includes one or more computer-readable media according to embodiment 8 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the indication of whether the UE supports simultaneous communication with different cells includes the following indication: the ability of the UE to conduct sub-6GHz (FR1) communication or millimeter wave (FR2) communication.

[0133] Embodiment 13 includes one or more computer-readable media according to embodiment 8 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the indication of whether the UE supports simultaneous communication with different cells includes the following indication: the ability of the UE to communicate using a uniform parameter set or a mixed parameter set.

[0134] Embodiment 14 includes one or more computer-readable media according to embodiment 8 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the indication of whether the UE supports simultaneous communication with different cells includes the following indication: the ability of the UE to communicate using different transmission (Tx) beams or reception (Rx) beams simultaneously.

[0135] Embodiment 15 includes one or more computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a user equipment (UE) to:

[0136] generating a message including an indication of whether the UE supports simultaneous communications with different cells; and

[0137] The message is encoded for transmission to a next generation Node B (gNB).

[0138] Embodiment 16 includes one or more computer-readable media according to embodiment 15 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the message is also used to indicate whether the UE supports transmission to two or more different cells, or whether the UE supports reception from two or more different cells.

[0139] Embodiment 17 includes one or more computer-readable media according to embodiment 15 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the message is further used to indicate the UE's ability to communicate: intra-frequency communication, inter-frequency communication, intra-band communication, or inter-band communication.

[0140] Embodiment 18 includes one or more computer-readable media according to embodiment 15 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the message is further used to indicate the capability of the UE to perform sub-6 GHz (FR1) communication or millimeter wave (FR2) communication.

[0141] Embodiment 19 includes one or more computer-readable media according to embodiment 15 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the message is also used to indicate the ability of the UE to communicate using a uniform parameter set or a hybrid parameter set.

[0142] Embodiment 20 includes one or more computer-readable media according to embodiment 15 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the message is also used to indicate the ability of the UE to communicate using different transmit (Tx) beams or receive (Rx) beams simultaneously.

[0143] Example 21 may include an apparatus comprising means for performing one or more elements of the method described in or related to any of Examples 1-20, or any other method or process described herein.

[0144] Embodiment 22 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, which include instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any of Embodiments 1-20 or any other method or process described herein.

[0145] Embodiment 23 may include a device comprising logic components, modules and / or circuits for performing one or more elements of the method described in or related to any of Embodiments 1-20 or any other method or process described herein.

[0146] Example 24 may include methods, techniques, or processes as described or related to any of Examples 1-20, or portions or components thereof.

[0147] Embodiment 25 may include a device comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media, wherein the one or more computer-readable media include instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method, technique, or process, or portion thereof, as described or related to any one of Embodiments 1-20.

[0148] Embodiment 26 may include a method of communicating in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0149] Embodiment 27 may include a system for providing wireless communications as shown and described herein.

[0150] Embodiment 28 may include an apparatus for providing wireless communications as shown and described herein.

[0151] The description of the specific implementations shown herein, including the specific implementations described in the Abstract, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed. Although specific implementations and examples are described herein for illustrative purposes, various alternative or equivalent embodiments or implementations calculated to achieve the same purpose can be made based on the above detailed description without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A device for user equipment UE, the device comprising: a memory, the memory being configured to store information about the UE's ability to support simultaneous communications with different cells, the information further comprising the UE's ability to support a unified parameter set or different uplink and downlink parameter sets; and A processing circuit, the processing circuit is coupled to the memory, and the processing circuit is configured to: retrieving said information from said memory; generating a message based on the information, the message including an indication of whether the UE supports simultaneous communication with different cells and whether the UE supports a unified set of parameters or different sets of uplink and downlink parameters; as well as Before the handover between different cells is configured by the network node, the message is encoded for transmission to the base station BS.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information is used to indicate whether the UE supports transmission to two or more different cells, or whether the UE supports reception from two or more different cells. 3 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the information is further used to indicate a capability of the UE to perform intra-frequency communication or inter-frequency communication. 4 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the information is further used to indicate a capability of the UE to perform intra-band communication or inter-band communication. 5 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the information is further used to indicate a capability of the UE to perform sub-6 GHz (FR1) communication or millimeter wave (FR2) communication.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: The switching is performed according to the instruction in the message.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information is further used to indicate the ability of the UE to communicate using different transmit (Tx) beams or receive (Rx) beams simultaneously.

8. One or more computer readable media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause a base station BS to: Prior to configuring a user equipment UE to perform a handover between different cells, receiving a first message from the UE, the first message including an indication of whether the UE supports simultaneous communication with different cells and whether the UE supports a unified set of parameters or different sets of uplink and downlink parameters; generating, based on the indication of whether the UE supports simultaneous communication with different cells and whether the UE supports a unified set of parameters or different sets of uplink and downlink parameters, a second message including configuration information for handover performed by the UE; as well as The second message is encoded for transmission to the UE.

9. One or more computer-readable media according to claim 8, wherein the indication of whether the UE supports simultaneous communication with different cells includes an indication of whether the UE supports transmission to two or more different cells, or whether the UE supports reception from two or more different cells.

10. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the indication of whether the UE supports simultaneous communications with different cells comprises an indication of a capability of the UE for intra-frequency communication or inter-frequency communication.

11. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the indication of whether the UE supports simultaneous communications with different cells comprises an indication of a capability of the UE for intra-band communication or inter-band communication.

12. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the indication of whether the UE supports simultaneous communications with different cells comprises an indication of the UE's ability to perform sub-6 GHz (FR1) communications or millimeter wave (FR2) communications.

13. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the indication of whether the UE supports simultaneous communications with different cells uses a Boolean variable.

14. One or more computer-readable media according to claim 8, wherein the indication of whether the UE supports simultaneous communication with different cells includes the following indication: the ability of the UE to communicate using different transmission (Tx) beams or reception (Rx) beams simultaneously.

15. One or more computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a user equipment UE to: generating a message including an indication of whether the UE supports simultaneous communication with different cells and whether the UE supports a unified set of parameters or different sets of uplink and downlink parameters; and Before the handover between different cells is configured by the network node, the message is encoded for transmission to the base station BS.

16. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the message is further used to indicate whether the UE supports transmission to two or more different cells or whether the UE supports reception from two or more different cells.

17. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the message is further configured to indicate the UE's ability to communicate: intra-frequency, inter-frequency, intra-band, or inter-band.

18. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the message is further configured to indicate the UE's capability of performing sub-6 GHz (FR1) communication or millimeter wave (FR2) communication.

19. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause a UE to: The switching is performed according to the indication in the message.

20. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the message is further used to indicate the ability of the UE to communicate using different transmit (Tx) beams or receive (Rx) beams simultaneously.

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