Configuration for small cell mobility centered around Layer 1 and Layer 2

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to configurations for cell - to - cell mobility centered on layer 1 and layer 2. The cell - to - cell mobility may include decoding a first Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration message received from a first cell. The first RRC reconfiguration message may include a first part of configuration information for performing a cell change to a second cell. A cell change message received from the first cell may be decoded. The cell change message may indicate that a cell change to the second cell is to be performed. A cell change confirmation may be encoded for transmission to the second cell. A second RRC reconfiguration message received from the second cell may be decoded. The second RRC reconfiguration message may include a second part of configuration information for performing the cell change to the second cell. The second part of the configuration information may include the remaining part of the configuration information to perform the cell change to the second cell.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application generally relates to wireless communication systems, including inter-cell mobility. Background Art

[0002] Wireless mobile communication technologies use various standards and protocols to transfer data between a base station and a wireless mobile device. Wireless communication system standards and protocols can include the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) (e.g., 4G) or New Radio (NR) (e.g., 5G); the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 standard, which is commonly referred to by industry organizations as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX); and the IEEE 802.11 standard for wireless local area networks (WLAN), which is commonly referred to by industry organizations as Wi-Fi. In the 3GPP radio access network (RAN) of an LTE system, a base station can include RAN nodes such as evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) Node B (also commonly denoted as evolved Node B, enhanced Node B, eNodeB, or eNB) and / or a radio network controller (RNC) in E-UTRAN, and the base station communicates with a wireless communication device known as a user equipment (UE). In a fifth generation (5G) wireless RAN, RAN nodes can include 5G nodes, NR nodes (also known as next generation Node B or g Node B (gNB)).

[0003] The RAN uses radio access technology (RAT) to communicate between RAN nodes and UEs. The RAN can include Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) RAN (GERAN), Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), and / or E-UTRAN, which provides access to communication services through a core network. Each RAN in the RAN operates according to a specific 3GPP RAT. For example, GERAN implements GSM and / or EDGE RAT, UTRAN implements Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) RAT or other 3GPP RAT, E-UTRAN implements LTE RAT, and NG-RAN implements 5G RAT. In some deployments, E-UTRAN can also implement 5G RAT.

[0004] The frequency bands of 5G NR can be divided into two different frequency ranges. Frequency Range 1 (FR1) includes frequency bands below 6 GHz, some of which may be used by previous standards but can potentially be extended to cover potential new spectrum products from 410 MHz to 7125 MHz. Frequency Range 2 (FR2) includes frequency bands from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz. The frequency bands in the millimeter wave (mmWave) range of FR2 have a shorter range but higher available bandwidth than the frequency bands in FR1. Those skilled in the art will recognize that these frequency ranges provided by way of example may vary over time or by region. Description of the Drawings

[0005] To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or action, one or more of the most significant digits in the reference numerals refer to the drawing number in which the element was first introduced.

[0006] Figure 1 An exemplary traditional handover data flow diagram according to one embodiment is shown.

[0007] Figure 2A An exemplary traditional handover data flow diagram according to one embodiment is shown.

[0008] Figure 2B An exemplary traditional handover data flow diagram according to one embodiment is shown.

[0009] Figure 3 A CHO data flow diagram according to one embodiment is shown.

[0010] Figure 4 A data flow diagram of the RRC configuration of a target cell divided into two parts according to one embodiment is shown.

[0011] Figure 5 A data flow diagram of the RRC configuration of a target cell divided into two parts according to one embodiment is shown.

[0012] Figure 6 A data flow diagram of the RRC configuration of a target cell divided into two parts according to one embodiment is shown.

[0013] Figure 7 A data flow diagram of the RRC configuration of a target cell divided into two parts according to one embodiment is shown.

[0014] Figure 8 A data flow diagram of the RRC configuration of a target cell divided into two parts according to one embodiment is shown.

[0015] Figure 9A data flow diagram showing the RRC configuration of a target cell divided into two parts according to an embodiment is shown.

[0016] Figure 10 A data flow diagram showing the RRC configuration of a target cell divided into two parts according to an embodiment is shown.

[0017] Figure 11 A flowchart showing a method for inter-cell mobility according to an embodiment is shown.

[0018] Figure 12 A system according to an embodiment is shown.

[0019] Figure 13 An infrastructure device according to an embodiment is shown.

[0020] Figure 14 A platform according to an embodiment is shown. Detailed implementation

[0021] Considering the background art, traditional handover (HO) schemes can be used for inter-cell mobility of connected user equipment (UE), and for critical updates within a cell of a connected UE. Traditional HO schemes also include two types of HO, including: 1. Radio Link Control (RLC) / Medium Access Control (MAC) reset with Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) re-establishment; and 2. RLC / MAC reset without PDCP re-establishment. It is worth noting that the elements of the HO interruption time include: C1: Radio Frequency (RF) retuning; C2: Downlink (DL) synchronization in the target cell; C3: Layer 2 (L2) reset; and C4: Uplink (UL) synchronization in the target cell.

[0022] Figure 1 An exemplary traditional handover data flow diagram is shown. Figure 1It includes User Equipment (UE) 102, source eNodeB 104, target eNodeB 106, Mobility Management Entity (MME) 108, and Serving Gateway 110. As shown in the figure, packet data is transmitted among Serving Gateway 110, source eNodeB 104, and UE 102, as indicated by arrow 112. After such transmission, a Downlink (DL) allocation message is sent from source eNodeB 104 to UE 102, as indicated by arrow 114. Then, source eNodeB 104 sends a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection reconfiguration message including mobility control information to UE 102, as indicated by arrow 116. UE 102 can then detach from the old cell (i.e., source eNodeB 104) and synchronize with the new cell (i.e., target eNodeB 106), as shown in block 118. Additionally, source eNodeB 104 can deliver the buffered and in-transit packets to target eNodeB 106, including Sequence Number (SN) state transfer and data forwarding, as indicated by block 120, arrow 122, and arrow 124 respectively.

[0023] Then target eNodeB 106, in cooperation with MME 108, can buffer the packets from source eNodeB 104, as shown in block 126. Then a synchronization message can be sent from UE 102 to target eNodeB 106, as indicated by arrow 128. Then, target eNodeB 106 can send an Uplink (UL) allocation and timing advance message to UE 102, as indicated by arrow 130. Then, UE 102 can send an RRC connection reconfiguration complete message to target eNodeB 106. Then packet data can be transmitted among Serving Gateway 110, target eNodeB 106, and UE 102, as indicated by arrows 134 and 136.

[0024] It should be noted that, as shown in legend 138, the straight arrows each represent Layer 3 (L3) signaling (i.e., arrows 116, 122, and 132), the larger dashed arrows represent Layer 1 (L1) and Layer 2 (L2) signaling (i.e., arrows 114, 128, and 130), and the smaller dashed arrows represent user data (i.e., arrows 112, 124, 134, and 136). Additionally, handover execution starts at arrow 116 (i.e., the RRC connection reconfiguration message from source eNodeB 104 to UE 102) and ends at arrow 132 (i.e., the RRC connection reconfiguration complete message from UE 102 to target eNodeB 106).

[0025] As Figure 2A and Figure 2B shown, traditional handover (HO) has various problems. Figure 2A A part of the traditional handover data flow diagram with the first possible problem is shown. Specifically, Figure 2AIncludes communication between UE 202 and source node 204. Initially, as shown in block 206, UE 202 may trigger an A3 event because the neighboring cell seems better than the current primary cell (i.e., source node 204). Then, UE 202 may attempt to transmit a measurement report, as shown by arrow 208. However, this measurement report may not reach the network, which may interrupt the handover process. This may lead to a deterioration of the condition, and UE 202 declares a radio link failure (RLF) and initiates a reconstruction. Then, UE 202 and source node 204 may transmit various reconstruction and reconfiguration messages, as shown by arrow 212, arrow 214, arrow 216, and arrow 218.

[0026] Figure 2B Shows a part of a conventional handover data flow diagram with a second possible problem. Specifically, Figure 2B Includes communication between UE 220 and source node 222. Initially, as shown in block 224, UE 220 may trigger an A3 event because the neighboring cell seems better than the current primary cell (i.e., source node 222). Then, UE 220 may transmit a measurement report, as shown by arrow 226. In response, source node 222 may attempt to send a handover command, as shown by arrow 228. However, the handover command may not reach UE 220, which may interrupt the handover process. This may lead to a deterioration of the condition, and UE 220 declares a radio link failure (RLF) and initiates a reconstruction. Then, UE 220 and source node 222 may transmit various reconstruction and reconfiguration messages, as shown by arrow 232, arrow 234, arrow 236, and arrow 238.

[0027] Some of these problems can be solved by 3GPP Release 16 (Rel-16) conditional HO (CHO). CHO includes the following features: 1. The network (NW) may provide a CHO command to the UE in advance; 2. The CHO command may include the configuration of multiple CHO candidate cells and corresponding HO conditions; 3. The HO condition may reuse measurement events A3 / A5, which are determined by the source cell; 4. When the condition is met, the UE may perform HO to the target cell; and 5. The UE may release the configuration of all CHO candidates after successful handover completion.

[0028] Figure 3 Shows a CHO data flow diagram demonstrating these features. Specifically, Figure 3It includes a UE 302, a source node 304, and a potential target node 306. Initially, the source node 304 may send a CHO request to the potential target node 306, as shown by arrow 308, and the potential target node 306 may respond with a CHO request confirmation (e.g., an RRC reconfiguration message), as shown by arrow 310. Then, the source node 304 may send a CHO configuration message to the UE 302, as shown by arrow 312. For example, the source node 304 may send a CHO configuration message (e.g., an RRC reconfiguration message) in response to meeting a condition (e.g., an A3 event).

[0029] Then, the UE 302 may monitor the CHO conditions of the target cell, as shown in block 314. If the CHO conditions are met, the UE 302 may perform a handover. In this case, random access and synchronization procedures may occur between the UE 302 and the potential target node 306, as shown by arrow 318 and arrow 320. Then, the UE 302 may send an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the potential target node 306, as shown by arrow 322. Finally, path switching and UE context release may occur, as shown in block 324.

[0030] Although Rel-16 CHO brings improvements, further enhancements will be created in 3GPP Release 17 (Rel-17), as further discussed in the Work Item Description (WID): Further Enhancements for MIMO in NR (RP-202024), which discusses the desired enhancements to layer 1 (L1) / L2-centric inter-cell mobility and signaling mechanisms to improve latency and increase efficiency by making more use of dynamic control signaling (as opposed to Radio Resource Control (RRC)). One such scenario of L1 / L2-centric inter-cell mobility includes fast cell changes at high frequencies.

[0031] However, if the NW pre-configures multiple candidate cells for the UE, the NW typically has to reserve UE-specific resources for a relatively long period of time and may even have to change such resources before the UE accesses the cell corresponding to these resources (which introduces unnecessary signaling overhead). Current traditional layer 3 (L3) handover mechanisms may not achieve the expectations discussed above because they include: 1. Long handover latency: a. between the receipt of the HO command and the transmission of the HO complete message (in the traditional mechanism); and b. between the execution of CHO and the transmission of the CHO handover complete message (in CHO); 2. Long interruption time during HO, including: a. applying the target cell configuration; b. DL timing acquisition in the target cell; and c. random access channel (RACH) delay in the target cell; and 3. Re-signaling overhead, including: a. RRC message transmission for each cell change (HO command, HO complete); and b. RACH for UL synchronization in the target cell (i.e., Msg1, Msg2, Msg3, and Msg4). In contrast, the principles described herein include a two-step configuration for L1 / L2-centric inter-cell mobility to achieve the desired enhancements associated with handover.

[0032] Figure 4 A data flow diagram showing the RRC configuration of the target cell divided into two parts is shown. As shown, Figure 4 includes UE 402, Cell#1 404 (i.e., the source / serving cell), and Cell#2 406 (e.g., the target cell). Initially, the first part of the configuration information (via the RRC reconfiguration message) is sent from Cell#1 404 to UE 402, as shown by box 410 and arrow 408. The first part may include at least configuration information related to the initial access to the target cell, as well as the default / general configuration of the target cell (e.g., initial bandwidth part (BWP), system information block 1 (SIB1), master information block (MIB), etc.). Additionally, Cell#1 404 may transmit a cell change indication associated with the target cell Cell#2 406, as shown by arrow 412.

[0033] Notably, the NW (e.g., Cell#1 404) may pre-provide the first part of the RRC configuration associated with the target cell. The UE can then apply the first part of the RRC configuration when the UE performs DL timing and UL synchronization with respect to the target cell. As shown, before the UE obtains the second part of the RRC configuration corresponding to the target cell, UE 402 may also perform an initial access or initial transmit / receive associated with the target cell, as shown by arrow 414.

[0034] As shown in the figure, the target cell Cell#2 406 can then send the second part of the RRC reconfiguration configuration information, as shown in block 420 and arrow 416. This second part can include the remaining configuration information associated with the target cell. As an example, such information can include UE-specific configuration information, measurement configuration information, carrier aggregation (CA) / dual connectivity (DC) information, etc.

[0035] When the NW provides the second part of the RRC configuration, it can include: 1. Incremental configuration (i.e., generally limited to the part of the configuration that is not provided as part of the first part of the RRC configuration); 2. Complete RRC configuration, although the part of the RRC configuration that is the first part of the RRC configuration has been received; and / or 3. The first part of the RRC configuration corresponding to the new potential target cell (i.e., now the original target cell has become the serving / source cell). Additionally, when the first part of the RRC configuration corresponding to the new potential target cell (e.g., Cell#3) is received as part of the second part of the RRC configuration, the UE can store such configuration information for future cell change use. Then, the UE can use the second part of the configuration information to send an RRC reconfiguration complete message to complete the cell change to Cell#2 406, as shown by arrow 418.

[0036] It is worth noting that the UE can perform various actions as follows: 1. When the UE starts to perform a cell change to the target cell, the UE can apply the first part of the RRC configuration associated with the target cell; 2. When the NW instructs to release the first part or after the UE has successfully changed to the corresponding target cell, the UE can release the first part of the RRC configuration associated with the target cell; 3. The UE can immediately apply the second part of the RRC configuration associated with the target cell after receiving the second part; and 4. When leaving the cell (i.e., the current serving cell), the UE can release the second part of the RRC configuration associated with the cell.

[0037] The first UL transmission of the UE to the target cell can include: 1. A RACH procedure using the RACH configuration provided in the first part of the RRC configuration corresponding to the target cell. Additionally, in such an embodiment, the UE can obtain the C-RNTI via the RACH procedure; or 2. Scheduling request (SR) / Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) / Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) transmission. The SR / PUCCH / PUSCH configuration information can be provided in the first part of the RRC configuration corresponding to the target cell. Furthermore, when the first UL transmission of the UE includes SR / PUCCH / PUSCH, the NW can provide the C-RNTI in the previous serving cell or in the first part of the RRC configuration corresponding to the target cell.

[0038] In addition, the NW (e.g., via the target cell) may provide the second part of the RRC configuration corresponding to the target cell as soon as possible. For example, the second part may be provided in the first DL transmission, or may be delivered within a configured period (e.g., a time period configured by the NW). The PDCCH monitoring information associated with at least the first DL transmission may be included in the first part of the RRC configuration corresponding to the target cell.

[0039] The UE may apply it immediately after receiving the second part of the RRC configuration corresponding to the target cell. In addition, the UE may utilize the second part to perform data transmission, data reception, and measurements. The UE may also store any received first part of the RRC configuration corresponding to other target cells (i.e., target cells other than the current serving cell (or source cell) and target cells that are in the process of becoming the serving cell). Before the UE receives the second part of the RRC configuration corresponding to the target cell, the UE may communicate with the target cell using the initial BWP configured based on the first part of the RRC configuration corresponding to the target cell (note that as an alternative to using the initial BWP, the first active BWP of the serving cell may be used).

[0040] Figure 5 The use of the RACH procedure within the two-step cell change discussed herein is shown. As shown, Figure 5 it includes UE 502, Cell#1 504, and Cell#2 506. Again, initially, Cell#1 504 may send the first part of the configuration information (i.e., via the RRC reconfiguration message) to UE 502, as shown by arrow 508. The first part may contain RACH configuration information and / or the initial BWP. UE 502 may store the first part of the configuration information until it can be used, as shown by block 518.

[0041] At a certain moment (e.g., in response to a specific condition), Cell#1 504 may transmit a cell change indication associated with the target cell Cell#2 506, as shown by arrow 510. As described elsewhere herein, UE 502 may apply the first part of the configuration information associated with the target cell Cell#2 506 (as shown by block 520). Using the RACH configuration information obtained in the first part of the configuration information, UE 502 and Cell#2 506 may perform the two-step RACH procedure. As part of the RACH procedure, the UE may obtain the cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) corresponding to the target cell, and the UE and the target cell may perform the initial UL / DL transmission based on the first part of the configuration information (as shown by blocks 520 and 522, respectively).

[0042] As shown, the target cell, Cell#2 506, may then transmit a second portion of the RRC reconfiguration configuration information, as indicated by arrow 514. This second portion may include the remaining configuration information associated with the target cell, as indicated by block 526. By way of example, such information may include UE-specific configuration information, measurement configuration information, carrier aggregation (CA) / dual connectivity (DC) information, etc. UE 502 may then transmit an RRC reconfiguration complete message to Cell#2 506 to complete the cell change, as indicated by arrow 516.

[0043] Figure 6 The use of SR in the two-step cell change discussed in this paper is shown in the figure. Figure 6 UE 602, Cell#1 604, and Cell#2 606 are included. Again, initially, Cell#1 604 may send the first part of the configuration information to UE 602 (i.e., via an RRC reconfiguration message), as indicated by arrow 608. This first part may include SR configuration information, an initial BWP, and / or C-RNTI-OPTION 1. UE 602 may store the first part of the configuration information until it can be used, as indicated by block 618.

[0044] At some point (e.g., in response to certain conditions), Cell#1 604 may transmit a cell change indication associated with target cell Cell#2 606, as indicated by arrow 610. The cell change indication may include Cell#2 C-RNTI-OPTION2. As described elsewhere herein, UE 602 may apply the first portion of the configuration information associated with target cell Cell#2 606 (as indicated by block 620).

[0045] Using the SR configuration information obtained in the first part of the configuration information, UE 602 and Cell#2 606 may perform an SR transmission procedure. As shown, target cell Cell#2 606 may then transmit the second part of the RRC reconfiguration configuration information, as indicated by arrow 614. This second part may contain the remaining configuration information associated with the target cell, and UL / DL transmissions may initially be performed according to the first part of the configuration information, as shown by block 622. By way of example, such information may include UE-specific configuration information, measurement configuration information, carrier aggregation (CA) / dual connectivity (DC) information, and the like. UE 602 may then transmit an RRC reconfiguration complete message to Cell#2 606 to complete the cell change, as indicated by arrow 616.

[0046] Figure 7 、 Figure 8 and Figure 9 Each shows a specific possible failure case. Figure 7The data flow chart of cell change with first UL transmission failure is shown. Figure 7 Included are UE 702, Cell#1 704, and Cell#2 706. Again, initially, Cell#1 704 may send the first part of configuration information (ie, via an RRC reconfiguration message) to UE 702, as indicated by arrow 708. The first part may include RACH configuration information and / or an initial BWP.

[0047] At some point (e.g., in response to certain conditions), Cell#1 704 may transmit a cell change indication associated with target cell Cell#2 706, as indicated by arrow 710. Using the RACH configuration information obtained in the first part of the configuration information, UE 702 and Cell#2 706 may attempt to perform a two-step RACH procedure, as indicated by arrow 712. However, the initial UL of UE 702 during the RACH procedure may fail.

[0048] In this case, UE 702 may apply the previous configuration, as indicated by block 718. UE 702 may then perform an SR or RACH procedure and transmit a cell change failure indication, as indicated by arrows 714 and 716, respectively.

[0049] Figure 8 The following is a flow chart showing a cell change data flow with a failed application of the second portion of the configuration information. Figure 8 Included are UE 802, Cell#1 804, and Cell#2 806. Again, initially, Cell#1 804 may send the first part of configuration information (ie, via an RRC reconfiguration message) to UE 802, as indicated by arrow 808. The first part may include RACH configuration information and / or an initial BWP.

[0050] At some point (e.g., in response to certain conditions), Cell#1 804 may transmit a cell change indication associated with target cell Cell#2 806, as indicated by arrow 810. Using the RACH configuration information obtained in the first part of the configuration information, UE 802 and Cell#2 806 may perform a two-step RACH procedure, as indicated by arrow 812.

[0051] As shown, target cell Cell#2 806 may then send the second portion of the RRC reconfiguration configuration information, as indicated by arrow 814. However, UE 802 may not be able to apply the second portion of the configuration information (e.g., incorrect configuration information was provided). In response, UE 802 may attempt to perform RRC connection reestablishment, as indicated by block 816.

[0052] Figure 9Shows a cell change data flow diagram where the reception of the second part of the configuration information fails. As shown in the figure, Figure 9 It includes UE 902, Cell#1 904, and Cell#2 906. Again, initially, Cell#1 904 can send the first part of the configuration information (i.e., via the RRC reconfiguration message) to UE 902, as shown by arrow 908. The first part may contain RACH configuration information and / or the initial BWP.

[0053] At a certain moment (e.g., in response to a specific condition), Cell#1 904 can transmit a cell change indication associated with the target cell Cell#2 906, as shown by arrow 910. Using the RACH configuration information obtained in the first part of the configuration information, UE 902 and Cell#2 906 can perform a two-step RACH procedure, as shown by arrow 912.

[0054] As shown in the figure, the second part of the RRC reconfiguration configuration information is not received during a predetermined time period (e.g., a time period predetermined by the UE or the NW). In response, UE 902 can attempt to perform RRC connection reconstruction, as shown in block 914.

[0055] It is worth noting that when the following conditions are detected, the UE can determine that a cell change failure has occurred: 1. The UE performs a first UL transmission that results in N failures or failures within a time window (e.g., the number of times or time window predetermined by the UE or the serving cell / NW); 2. The UE does not receive the second part of the RRC configuration corresponding to the target cell in the first DL transmission from the target cell during a predetermined time period (e.g., predetermined by the serving cell); or 3. The UE receives the second part of the RRC configuration corresponding to the target cell, but the second part results in a failure (e.g., a failure caused by the UE applying the second part, the second part being incorrect, etc.).

[0056] In response to detecting one or more of the above conditions / problems, the UE can perform one or more of the following actions: 1. Cell change to the source cell; 2. Access to another target cell; or 3. UE connection reconstruction.

[0057] Figure 10 Shows a cell change data flow diagram where the reception of the second part of the configuration information fails, and the additional steps taken in this case. As shown in the figure, Figure 10It includes UE 1002, Cell#1 1004, Cell#2 1006, and Cell#3 1008. Again, initially, Cell#1 1004 can send the first part of the configuration information (i.e., via the RRC reconfiguration message) to UE 1002, as shown by arrow 1010. This first part can contain configuration information (e.g., SR configuration information, RACH configuration information, initial BWP, etc.) associated with each of the potential target cells (i.e., both Cell#2 1006 and Cell#3 1008). UE 1002 can store the first part of the configuration information until it can be used, as shown in box 1022.

[0058] At a certain moment (e.g., in response to a specific condition), Cell#1 1004 can transmit a cell change indication associated with the target cell Cell#2 1006, as shown by arrow 1012. As described elsewhere herein, UE 1002 can apply the first part of the configuration information associated with the target cell Cell#2 1006 and perform a cell change, as shown in box 1024.

[0059] Using the SR configuration information (or RACH configuration information) associated with Cell#2 1006 obtained in the first part of the configuration information, UE 1002 and Cell#2 1006 can perform an SR transmission procedure, as shown by arrow 1014. As shown in the figure, UE 1002 does not receive the second part of the RRC reconfiguration configuration information from Cell#2 1006 (i.e., within a predetermined time period).

[0060] At a certain moment, Cell#2 1006 can transmit a cell change indication associated with the new target cell Cell#3 1008, as shown by arrow 1016. Using the RACH configuration information (or SR configuration information) associated with Cell#3 1008 obtained in the first part of the configuration information, UE 1002 can perform a RACH transmission procedure, as shown by arrow 1018. In addition, as shown in box 1026, UE 1002 can perform a cell change and apply the first part of the configuration information associated with Cell#3 1008. Finally, Cell#3 1008 can then send the second part of the RRC reconfiguration configuration information associated with Cell#3 1008, as shown by arrow 1020.

[0061] Therefore, when the UE performs a cell change practicing the principles herein but has not received the second part of the current serving cell (e.g., Cell#2 1006 in the Figure 10 example), the UE can perform a cell change to the next cell (e.g., Cell#3 1008 in the Figure 10 example).

[0062] Figure 11 Method 1100 for inter-cell mobility is shown. In block 1102, method 1100 decodes a first Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration message received from a first cell. The first RRC reconfiguration message may include a first part of configuration information for performing a cell change to a second cell. For example, the first RRC reconfiguration message may be sent from the UE's current serving / source cell, and the first part of the configuration information may include the first part of the configuration information that the UE must change the cell to the target cell (i.e., the second cell).

[0063] In block 1104, method 1100 decodes a cell change message from the first cell. The cell change message indicates that a cell change to the second cell is to be performed. In an example, the UE's current source / serving cell (i.e., the first cell) may send an indication to the UE about changing to the target cell (i.e., the second cell). In block 1106, method 1100 encodes a cell change confirmation for transmission to the second cell. For example, the UE may send an initial access communication to the target cell where the serving / source cell has previously indicated a cell change.

[0064] In block 1108, method 1100 decodes a second RRC reconfiguration message received from the second cell. The second RRC reconfiguration message may include a second part of configuration information for performing the cell change to the second cell. The second part of the configuration information may include the remaining part of the configuration information to perform the cell change to the second cell. For example, the target cell may send all the remaining part of the configuration information so that the UE changes the cell to the target cell.

[0065] Method 1100 may also include a first part of configuration information that includes at least one of a Bandwidth Part (BWP), System Information Block 1 (SIB1), or Master Information Block (MIB). Method 1100 may also include the UE encoding a cell change confirmation for transmission to the second cell before receiving the second RRC reconfiguration message. Method 1100 may also include a second RRC reconfiguration message that also includes the first part of the configuration information of the first RRC reconfiguration message.

[0066] Method 1100 may also include a second part of configuration information that is limited to configuration information not included in the first part of the configuration information. Method 1100 may also include a second RRC reconfiguration message that further includes a third part of configuration information for performing a new cell change to a third cell. Method 1100 may also include the UE storing the third part of the configuration information for a possible future cell change to the third cell.

[0067] Method 1100 may further include applying a second part of the configuration information immediately after decoding the second RRC reconfiguration message. Method 1100 may further include a second part of the configuration information, which includes at least one of UE-specific configuration, measurement configuration, carrier aggregation (CA) information, or dual connectivity (DC) information. Method 1100 may further include a cell change confirmation, which includes a random access channel (RACH) procedure.

[0068] Method 1100 may further include an RACH configuration for performing an RACH procedure, which is included in the first part of the configuration information to perform a cell change to a second cell. Method 1100 may further include the UE obtaining a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) through the RACH procedure. Method 1100 may further include a cell change confirmation, which includes one of a scheduling request (SR), a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmission, or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission.

[0069] Method 1100 may further include one of an SR, a PUCCH transmission, or a PUSCH transmission, which is included in the first part of the configuration information to perform a cell change to a second cell. Method 1100 may further include the UE obtaining a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) in the first part of the configuration information. Method 1100 may further include a second RRC reconfiguration message, which includes a first downlink (DL) transmission sent by the second cell to the UE before the second cell sends any other DL transmission to the UE.

[0070] Method 1100 may further include a second RRC reconfiguration message sent by the second cell to the UE within a predetermined time period. Method 1100 may further include a first part of the configuration information, which includes at least one of a bandwidth part (BWP), a system information block 1 (SIB1), or a master information block (MIB), and a second part of the configuration information, which includes at least one of UE-specific configuration, measurement configuration, carrier aggregation (CA) information, or dual connectivity (DC) information.

[0071] Figure 12FIG. 1200 shows an exemplary architecture of a system 1200 of a network according to various embodiments. The following description is provided for an exemplary system 1200 operating in conjunction with the LTE system standard and the 5G or NR system standard provided in 3GPP technical specifications. However, the exemplary embodiments are not limited in this regard, and the embodiments may be applied to other networks that benefit from the principles described herein, such as future 3GPP systems (e.g., sixth generation (6G) systems), IEEE 802.16 protocols (e.g., WMAN, WiMAX, etc.), and the like.

[0072] As Figure 12 shown, the system 1200 includes UEs 1222 and 1220. In this example, UEs 1222 and 1220 are shown as smart phones (e.g., handheld touchscreen mobile computing devices that can connect to one or more cellular networks), but may also include any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as consumer electronic devices, mobile phones, smart phones, feature phones, tablets, wearable computing devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), pagers, wireless handheld devices, desktop computers, laptop computers, in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), in-vehicle entertainment (ICE) devices, instrument clusters (ICs), head-up display (HUD) devices, on-board diagnostic (OBD) devices, dashtop mobile equipment (DMEs), mobile data terminals (MDTs), electronic engine management systems (EEMSs), electronic / engine electronic control units (ECUs), electronic / engine electronic control modules (ECMs), embedded systems, microcontrollers, control modules, engine management systems (EMSs), networked or "smart" home appliances, MTC devices, M2M, IoT devices, and the like.

[0073] In some embodiments, UE 1222 and / or UE 1220 may be IoT UEs, which may include a network access layer designed for low-power IoT applications that utilize short-term UE connections. IoT UEs may utilize technologies such as M2M or MTC to exchange data with MTC servers or devices via a PLMN, ProSe, or D2D communication, a sensor network, or an IoT network. M2M or MTC data exchange may be machine-initiated data exchange. The IoT network describes interconnected IoT UEs, which may include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices (within the Internet infrastructure) with short-lived connections. IoT UEs may execute background applications (e.g., keep-alive messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate the connection to the IoT network.

[0074] UE 1222 and UE 1220 may be configured to connect to, e.g., communicatively couple to, an access node or radio access node (shown as (R)AN 1208). In an embodiment, (R)AN 1208 is an NG RAN or SG RAN, E-UTRAN or a legacy RAN such as UTRAN or GERAN. As used herein, terms such as “NG RAN” may refer to (R)AN 1208 operating in an NR or SG system and terms such as “E-UTRAN” may refer to (R)AN 1208 operating in an LTE or 4G system. UE 1222 and UE 1220 utilize connections (or channels) (shown as connection 1204 and connection 1202, respectively), each connection including a physical communication interface or layer (discussed further below).

[0075] In this example, connection 1204 and connection 1202 are air interfaces to enable communicative coupling and may be consistent with a cellular communication protocol such as GSM protocol, CDMA network protocol, PTT protocol, POC protocol, UMTS protocol, 3GPP LTE protocol, SG protocol, NR protocol, and / or any other communication protocol discussed herein. In an embodiment, UE 1222 and UE 1220 may also directly exchange communication data via ProSe interface 1210. ProSe interface 1210 may alternatively be referred to as a side link (SL) interface 110 and may include one or more logical channels including, but not limited to, PSCCH, PSSCH, PSDCH, and PSBCH.

[0076] UE 1220 is shown as being configured to access AP 1212 (also referred to as a “WLAN node,” “WLAN,” “WLAN terminal,” “WT,” etc.) via connection 1224. Connection 1224 may include a local wireless connection such as a connection consistent with any IEEE 802.11 protocol, where AP 1212 will include Wi-Fi Router. In this example, AP 1212 can be connected to the Internet without being connected to the core network of the wireless system (described in further detail below). In various embodiments, UE 1220, (R)AN 1208, and AP 1212 can be configured to utilize LWA operations and / or LWIP operations. LWA operations can involve UE 1220 in RRC_CONNECTED that is configured by RAN node 1214 or RAN node 1216 to utilize the radio resources of LTE and WLAN. LWIP operations can involve UE 1220 using the WLAN radio resources (e.g., connection 1224) via an IPsec protocol tunnel to authenticate and encrypt the packets (e.g., IP packets) sent over connection 1224. The IPsec tunneling can include encapsulating the entire original IP packet and adding a new packet header, thereby protecting the original header of the IP packet.

[0077] (R)AN 1208 can include one or more AN nodes that implement connection 1204 and connection 1202, such as RAN node 1214 and RAN node 1216. As used herein, terms such as "access node", "access point", etc. can describe equipment that provides radio baseband functionality for data and / or voice connections between a network and one or more users. These access nodes can be referred to as BS, gNB, RAN node, eNB, NodeB, RSU, TRxP, or TRP, etc., and can include a ground station (e.g., a terrestrial access point) or a satellite station that provides coverage within a geographical area (e.g., a cell). As used herein, terms such as "NG RAN node" etc. can refer to a RAN node (e.g., gNB) operating in an NR or SG system, while terms such as "E-UTRAN node" etc. can refer to a RAN node (e.g., eNB) operating in an LTE or 4G system 1200. According to various embodiments, RAN node 1214 or RAN node 1216 can be implemented as one or more of a dedicated physical device such as a macro cell base station and / or a low-power (LP) base station for providing a femto cell, pico cell, or other similar cell with a smaller coverage area, a smaller user capacity, or a higher bandwidth compared to a macro cell.

[0078] In some embodiments, all or part of RAN node 1214 or RAN node 1216 may be implemented as one or more software entities running on a server computer, as part of a virtual network that may be referred to as a Cloud RAN (CRAN) and / or virtual baseband unit pool (vBBUP). In these embodiments, the CRAN or vBBUP may implement RAN functional split, such as PDCP split, where the RRC and PDCP layers are operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, and other L2 protocol entities are operated by respective RAN nodes (e.g., RAN node 1214 or RAN node 1216); MAC / PHY split, where the RRC, PDCP, RLC, and MAC layers are operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, and the PHY layer is operated by respective RAN nodes (e.g., RAN node 1214 or RAN node 1216); or “lower PHY” split, where the RRC, PDCP, RLC, MAC layers, and upper part of the PHY layer are operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, and the lower part of the PHY layer is operated by respective RAN nodes. This virtualization framework allows the idle processor cores of RAN node 1214 or RAN node 1216 to execute other virtualized applications. In some specific implementations, each RAN node may represent a respective gNB-DU connected to the gNB-CU via respective F1 interfaces ( Figure 12 not shown). In these specific implementations, the gNB-DU may include one or more remote radio heads or RFEMs, and the gNB-CU may be operated by a server (not shown) located in the (R)AN 1208 or by a pool of servers in a manner similar to the CRAN / vBBUP. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of RAN node 1214 or RAN node 1216 may be a next-generation eNB (ng-eNB), which is a RAN node that provides E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocol terminations to UEs 1222 and 1220 and is connected to the SGC via an NG interface (discussed below). In a V2X scenario, one or more of RAN node 1214 or RAN node 1216 may be or act as a roadside unit (RSU).

[0079] RAN node 1214 or RAN node 1216 may terminate the air interface protocol and may be the first point of contact for UEs 1222 and 1220. In some embodiments, RAN node 1214 or RAN node 1216 may perform various logical functions of the (R)AN 1208, including but not limited to functions of a radio network controller (RNC), such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management and data packet scheduling, and mobility management.

[0080] In an embodiment, UE 1222 and UE 1220 may be configured to communicate with each other or with any one of RAN node 1214 and / or RAN node 1216 over a multi-carrier communication channel using OFDM communication signals according to various communication techniques, such as but not limited to OFDMA communication techniques (e.g., for downlink communication) or SC-FDMA communication techniques (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communication), but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this regard. The OFDM signal may include a plurality of orthogonal sub-carriers.

[0081] In some embodiments, a downlink resource grid may be used for downlink transmissions from RAN node 1214 and / or RAN node 1216 to UE 1222 and UE 1220, and 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 the physical resources in the downlink in each time slot. For OFDM systems, such time-frequency plane representations are common practice, which makes radio resource allocation intuitive. Each column and each row of the resource grid correspond to an OFDM symbol and an OFDM sub-carrier, respectively. The duration of the resource grid in the time domain corresponds to one 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 smallest amount of resources that can be currently allocated. Such resource blocks are used to transmit several different physical downlink channels.

[0082] According to various embodiments, UE 1222 and UE 1220, and RAN node 1214 and / or RAN node 1216 transmit data (e.g., transmit and receive data) over a licensed medium (also referred to as "licensed spectrum" and / or "licensed band") and an unlicensed shared medium (also referred to as "unlicensed spectrum" and / or "unlicensed band"). The licensed spectrum may include channels operating in a frequency range of approximately 400 MHz to approximately 3.8 GHz, while the unlicensed spectrum may include the 5 GHz band.

[0083] To operate in the unlicensed spectrum, UE 1222, UE 1220, and RAN node 1214 or RAN node 1216 may operate using LAA, eLAA, and / or feLAA mechanisms. In these embodiments, UE 1222, UE 1220, and RAN node 1214 or RAN node 1216 may perform one or more known medium sensing operations and / or carrier sensing operations to determine whether one or more channels in the unlicensed spectrum are unavailable or otherwise occupied before transmitting in the unlicensed spectrum. The medium / carrier sensing operations may be performed according to the listen-before-talk (LBT) protocol.

[0084] LBT is a mechanism by which devices (such as UE 1222, UE 1220, RAN node 1214, or RAN node 1216, etc.) sense the medium (such as a channel or carrier frequency) and transmit when the medium is sensed as idle (or when a particular channel in the medium is sensed as unoccupied). The medium sensing operation may include CCA, which uses at least ED to determine whether there are other signals on the channel to determine whether the channel is occupied or idle. The LBT mechanism allows cellular / LAA networks to coexist with existing systems in the unlicensed spectrum and with other LAA networks. ED may include sensing RF energy on the expected transmission band for a period of time and comparing the sensed RF energy with a predefined or configured threshold.

[0085] Typically, existing systems in the 5 GHz band are WLANs based on IEEE 802.11 technology. WLANs employ a contention-based channel access mechanism called CSMA / CA. Here, when a WLAN node (such as a mobile station (MS) such as UE 1222, AP1212, etc.) intends to transmit, the WLAN node may first perform CCA before transmission. Additionally, in the case where more than one WLAN node senses the channel as idle and transmits simultaneously, a backoff mechanism is used to avoid collisions. The backoff mechanism may be a counter randomly introduced within the CWS, which increases exponentially in the event of a collision and is reset to the minimum value upon successful transmission. The LBT mechanism designed for LAA is somewhat similar to CSMA / CA of WLAN. In some embodiments, the LBT process for DL or UL transmission bursts (including PDSCH or PUSCH transmissions) may have a variable-length LAA contention window between X and Y ECCA slots, where X and Y are the minimum and maximum values of the CWS of LAA. In one example, the minimum CWS for LAA transmission may be 9 microseconds (μs); however, the size of the CWS and the MCOT (such as the transmission burst) may be based on government regulatory requirements.

[0086] The PDSCH carries user data and higher layer signaling to UEs 1222 and 1220. Among other information, the PDCCH carries information about the transport format and resource allocation related to the PDSCH channel. It can also notify UEs 1222 and 1220 about the transport format, resource allocation, and HARQ information related to the uplink shared channel. Generally, downlink scheduling (allocating control and shared channel resource blocks to UE 1220 within the cell) can be performed at either RAN node 1214 or RAN node 1216 based on the channel quality information fed back from either of UEs 1222 and 1220. Downlink resource allocation information can be sent on the PDCCHs used for (e.g., allocated to) each of UEs 1222 and 1220.

[0087] The PDCCH uses CCEs to carry control information. Before being mapped to resource elements, the PDCCH complex-valued symbols can first be organized into quadruples and then can 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 nine sets each having four physical resource elements, called REGs. Four quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) symbols can be mapped to each REG. Depending on the size of the DCI and the channel conditions, one or more CCEs can be used to transmit the PDCCH. There can 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).

[0088] Some embodiments can use the concept of resource allocation for control channel information, which is an extension of the above concept. For example, some embodiments can utilize the EPDCCH that uses PDSCH resources for control information transmission. One or more ECCEs can be used to transmit the EPDCCH. Similar to the above, each ECCE can correspond to nine sets including four physical resource elements, called EREGs. In some cases, the ECCE can have other numbers of EREGs.

[0089] RAN node 1214 or RAN node 1216 may be configured to communicate with each other via interface 1230. In an implementation where system 1200 is an LTE system (e.g., when CN 1206 is an EPC), interface 1230 may be an X2 interface. The X2 interface may be defined between two or more RAN nodes (e.g., two or more eNBs, etc.) connected to the EPC, and / or between two eNBs connected to the EPC. In some specific implementations, the X2 interface may include an X2 user plane interface (X2-U) and an X2 control plane interface (X2-C). The X2-U may provide a flow control mechanism for user packets transmitted through the X2 interface and may be used to convey information regarding the delivery of user data between eNBs. For example, the X2-U may provide specific sequence number information regarding user data transmitted from the MeNB to the SeNB; information regarding the successful in-sequence delivery of PDCP PDUs from the SeNB to UE 1222 for user data; information on PDCP PDUs not delivered to UE 1222; information regarding the current minimum desired buffer size at the SeNB for transmitting user data to the UE; and so on. The X2-C may provide access mobility functions within LTE, including context transfer from the source eNB to the target eNB, user plane transmission control, etc.; load management functions; and inter-cell interference coordination functions.

[0090] In an implementation where system 1200 is an SG or NR system (e.g., when CN 1206 is an SGC), interface 1230 can be an Xn interface. The Xn interface is defined between two or more RAN nodes connected to the SGC (e.g., two or more gNBs, etc.), between the RAN node 1214 (e.g., gNB) connected to the SGC and an eNB, and / or between two eNBs connected to the 5GC (e.g., CN 1206). In some specific implementations, the Xn interface can include an Xn user plane (Xn-U) interface and an Xn control plane (Xn-C) interface. The Xn-U can provide non-guaranteed delivery of user plane PDUs and support / provide data forwarding and traffic control functions. The Xn-C can provide management and error handling functions for managing the functions of the Xn-C interface; mobility support for the UE 1222 in the connected mode (e.g., CM-CONNECTED) includes functions for managing the UE mobility in the connected mode between one or more RAN nodes 1214 or RAN nodes 1216. The mobility support can include context transfer from an old (source) serving RAN node 1214 to a new (target) serving RAN node 1216; and control of the user plane tunnel between the old (source) serving RAN node 1214 and the new (target) serving RAN node 1216. The protocol stack of the Xn-U can include a transport network layer built on the Internet Protocol (IP) transport layer, and a GTP-U layer for carrying user plane PDUs on top of the UDP and / or IP layer. The Xn-C protocol stack can include an application layer signaling protocol (referred to as the Xn application protocol (Xn-AP)) and a transport network layer built on SCTP. SCTP can be on top of the IP layer and can provide guaranteed delivery of application layer messages. In the transport IP layer, point-to-point transmission is used to deliver signaling PDUs. In other specific implementations, the Xn-U protocol stack and / or the Xn-C protocol stack can be the same as or similar to the user plane and / or control plane protocol stacks shown and described herein.

[0091] (R)AN 1208 is shown as communicatively coupled to the core network, and in this embodiment, communicatively coupled to CN 1206. CN 1206 may include one or more network elements 1232, which are configured to provide various data and telecommunications services to customers / subscribers (e.g., users of UEs 1222 and 1220) connected to CN 1206 via (R)AN 1208. The components of CN 1206 may be implemented in one physical node or separate physical nodes, including components for reading and executing instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium). In some embodiments, NFV may be used to virtualize any or all of the above network node functions via executable instructions stored in one or more computer-readable storage media (described in further detail below). A logical instance of CN 1206 may be referred to as a network slice, and a logical instance of a part of CN 1206 may be referred to as a network sub-slice. The NFV architecture and infrastructure may be used to virtualize one or more network functions onto physical resources that include a combination of industry-standard server hardware, storage hardware, or switches (alternatively implemented by proprietary hardware). In other words, the NFV system may be used to perform a virtual or reconfigurable implementation of one or more EPC components / functions.

[0092] Generally speaking, the application server 1218 may be an element that provides applications that use IP bearer resources with the core network (e.g., UMTS PS domain, LTE PS data services, etc.). The application server 1218 may also be configured to support one or more communication services for UEs 1222 and 1220 via the EPC (e.g., VoIP sessions, PTT sessions, group communication sessions, social network services, etc.). The application server 1218 may communicate with CN 1206 via an IP communication interface 1236.

[0093] In an embodiment, CN 1206 may be an SGC, and (R)AN 116 may be connected to CN 1206 via an NG interface 1234. In an embodiment, the NG interface 1234 may be divided into two parts: an NG user plane (NG-U) interface 1226, which carries traffic data between RAN node 1214 or RAN node 1216 and the UPF; and an S1 control plane (NG-C) interface 1228, which is a signaling interface between RAN node 1214 or RAN node 1216 and the AMF.

[0094] In an embodiment, CN 1206 can be SG CN, while in other embodiments, CN 1206 can be EPC. In the case where CN 1206 is EPC, (R)AN 116 can be connected to CN 1206 via the S1 interface 1234. In an embodiment, the S1 interface 1234 can be divided into two parts: the S1 user plane (S1-U) interface 1226, which carries traffic data between the RAN node 1214 or the RAN node 1216 and the S-GW; and the S1-MME interface 1228, which is a signaling interface between the RAN node 1214 or the RAN node 1216 and the MME.

[0095] Figure 13 An example of infrastructure equipment 1300 according to various embodiments is shown. The infrastructure equipment 1300 can be implemented as a base station, a radio headend, a RAN node, an AN, an application server, and / or any other element / device discussed herein. In other examples, the infrastructure equipment 1300 can be implemented in or by a UE.

[0096] The infrastructure equipment 1300 includes an application circuit 1302, a baseband circuit 1304, one or more radio front-end modules 1306 (RFEMs), a memory circuit 1308, a power management integrated circuit (shown as PMIC 1310), a power splitter circuit 1312, a network controller circuit 1314, a network interface connector 1320, a satellite positioning circuit 1316, and a user interface circuit 1318. In some embodiments, the infrastructure equipment 1300 can 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, these components can be included in more than one device. For example, the circuits can be separately included in more than one device for CRAN, vBBU, or other similar implementations. The application circuit 1302 includes, but is not limited to, one or more processors (or processor cores), a cache memory, and a low-dropout regulator (LDO), an interrupt controller, a serial interface such as SPI, l 2One or more of: a C or general purpose programmable serial interface module, a real time clock (RTC), a timer-counter including an interval timer and a watchdog timer, general purpose input / output (I / O or IO), a memory card controller such as a Secure Digital (SD) multimedia card (MMC) or the like, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, a Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) interface, and a Joint Test Action Group (JTAG) test access port. The processor (or core) of the application circuit 1302 may be coupled to or may include a memory / storage element and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage device to enable various application programs or operating systems to run on the infrastructure equipment 1300. In some embodiments, the memory / storage element may be an on-chip memory circuit that may include any suitable volatile and / or non-volatile memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, solid state memory, and / or any other type of memory device technology, such as those discussed herein.

[0097] The processor of the application circuit 1302 may include, for example, one or more processor cores (CPUs), one or more application processors, one or more graphics processing units (GPUs), one or more reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, one or more Acorn RISC machines (ARM) processors, one or more complex instruction set computing (CISC) processors, one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), one or more FPGAs, one or more PLDs, one or more ASICs, one or more microprocessors or controllers, or any suitable combination thereof. In some embodiments, the application circuit 1302 may include or may be a dedicated processor / controller for operating according to the various embodiments herein. As an example, the processor of the application circuit 1302 may include one or more Intel or processors; Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) processors, Accelerated Processing Units (APUs), or processors; ARM-based processors licensed by ARM Holdings, Ltd., such as the ARM Cortex-A series processors provided by Cavium (TM), Inc. and MIPS-based designs from MIPS Technologies, Inc., such as the MIPS Warrior P-class processors; and so on. In some embodiments, the infrastructure equipment 1300 may not utilize the application circuit 1302 and instead may include a dedicated processor / controller to process, for example, IP data received from the EPC or 5GC.

[0098] In some specific implementations, the application circuit 1302 may include one or more hardware accelerators, which may be microprocessors, programmable processing devices, etc. The one or more hardware accelerators may include, for example, computer vision (CV) and / or deep learning (DL) accelerators. For example, the programmable processing device may be one or more field programmable devices (FPDs), such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc.; programmable logic devices (PLDs), such as complex PLDs (CPLDs), high-capacity PLDs (HCPLDs), etc.; ASICs, such as structured ASICs, etc.; programmable system-on-chips (PSoCs); and so on. In such specific implementations, the circuit of the application circuit 1302 may include logic blocks or logic architectures, as well as other interconnected resources that can be programmed to perform various functions such as the processes, methods, functions, etc. of the various embodiments discussed herein. In such embodiments, the circuit of the application circuit 1302 may include memory units (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, static memory (e.g., static random access memory (SRAM), antifuse, etc.)) for storing logic blocks, logic architectures, data, etc. in look-up tables (LUTs), etc. The baseband circuit 1304 may be implemented as, for example, a soldered-in substrate that includes one or more integrated circuits, a single packaged integrated circuit soldered to the main circuit board, or a multi-chip module that includes two or more integrated circuits.

[0099] The user interface circuit 1318 may include one or more user interfaces designed to enable a user to interact with the infrastructure equipment 1300 or a peripheral component interface designed to enable a peripheral component to interact with the infrastructure equipment 1300. The user interface may include, but is not limited to, one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., reset buttons), one or more indicators (e.g., light-emitting diodes (LEDs)), a physical keyboard or keypad, a mouse, a touchpad, a touch screen, a speaker or other audio emitting device, a microphone, a printer, a scanner, headphones, a display screen or display device, etc. The peripheral component interface may include, but is not limited to, a non-volatile memory port, a universal serial bus (USB) port, an audio jack, a power interface, etc.

[0100] The radio front-end module 1306 may include a millimeter wave (mmWave) radio front-end module (RFEM) and one or more sub-millimeter wave radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs). In some implementations, the one or more sub-millimeter wave RFICs may be physically separate from the mmWave RFEM. The RFIC may include connections to one or more antennas or antenna arrays, and the RFEM may be connected to multiple antennas. In alternative implementations, both mmWave and sub-millimeter wave radio functionality may be implemented in the same physical radio front-end module 1306, incorporating both mmWave antennas and sub-millimeter waves.

[0101] The memory circuit 1308 may include one or more of the following: volatile memory including dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and / or synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM); and non-volatile memory (NVM) including high-speed electrically erasable memory (commonly referred to as "flash memory"), phase change random access memory (PRAM), magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), etc., and may be combined with memory devices obtained from and The memory circuit 1308 may be implemented as one or more of: a solder-in package integrated circuit, a socket memory module, and a plug-in memory card.

[0102] PMIC 1310 may include a voltage regulator, a surge protector, a power alarm detection circuit, and one or more backup power sources, such as batteries or capacitors. The power alarm detection circuit may detect one or more of a brownout (undervoltage) and a surge (overvoltage) condition. Power T-circuit 1312 may provide electrical power drawn from the network cable to provide both power and data connectivity for infrastructure equipment 1300 using a single cable.

[0103] The network controller circuit 1314 can provide connectivity to the network using a standard network interface protocol such as Ethernet, Ethernet based on GRE tunnels, Ethernet based on Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS), or some other suitable protocol. Network connectivity can be provided to / from the infrastructure equipment 1300 via the network interface connector 1320 using a physical connection, which can be an electrical connection (commonly referred to as a "copper interconnect"), an optical connection, or a wireless connection. The network controller circuit 1314 may include one or more dedicated processors and / or FPGAs for communicating using one or more of the aforementioned protocols. In some implementations, the network controller circuit 1314 may include multiple controllers for providing connectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

[0104] Figure 14An example of platform 1400 according to various embodiments is shown. In an embodiment, computer platform 1400 may be adapted to be used as a UE, an application server, and / or any other element / device discussed herein. Platform 1400 may include any combination of the components shown in the example. The components of platform 1400 may be implemented as an integrated circuit (IC), a part of an IC, discrete electronic devices, or other modules, logic, hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof adapted within computer platform 1400, or as components otherwise incorporated within the chassis of a larger system. Figure 14 The block diagram is intended to show a high-level view of the components of computer platform 1400. However, some of the components shown may be omitted, additional components may exist, and different arrangements of the shown components may occur in other specific implementations.

[0105] Application circuitry 1402 includes circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more processors (or processor cores), cache memory, and an LDO, an interrupt controller, a serial interface such as SPI, I 2 C or a general programmable serial interface module, an RTC, a timer-counter including an interval timer and a watchdog timer, general-purpose I / O, a memory card controller such as an SD MMC or a similar controller, a USB interface, a MIPI interface, and a JTAG test access port. The processor (or core) of application circuitry 1402 may be coupled to or may include memory / storage elements and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage device to enable various applications or operating systems to run on platform 1400. In some embodiments, the memory / storage elements may be on-chip memory circuitry that may include any suitable volatile and / or non-volatile memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, solid-state memory, and / or any other type of memory device technology, such as those discussed herein.

[0106] The processor of application circuitry 1402 may include, for example, one or more processor cores, one or more application processors, one or more GPUs, one or more RISC processors, one or more ARM processors, one or more CISC processors, one or more DSPs, one or more FPGAs, one or more PLDs, one or more ASICs, one or more microprocessors or controllers, a multi-threaded processor, an ultra-low voltage processor, an embedded processor, some other known processing elements, or any suitable combination thereof. In some embodiments, application circuitry 1402 may include or may be a dedicated processor / controller for operating according to the various embodiments herein.

[0107] As an example, the processor of application circuitry 1402 may include based on Architecture Core TM processors such as Quark TM 、Atom TM 、i3, i5, i7, or MCU-class processors, or another such processor available from Corporation. The processor of application circuit 1402 can also be one or more of the following: Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) processors or accelerated processing units (APUs); AS-A9 processors from Inc., Snapdragon processors from TM Technologies, Inc., Texas Instruments, Open Multimedia Applications Platform (OMAP) TM processors; MIPS-based designs from MIPS Technologies, Inc., such as MIPS Warrior M-class, Warrior I-class, and Warrior P-class processors; ARM-based designs licensed from ARM Holdings, Ltd., such as ARM Cortex-A, Cortex-R, and Cortex-M series processors; etc. In some embodiments, application circuit 1402 can be part of a system-on-chip (SoC), where application circuit 1402 and other components are formed as a single integrated circuit or a single package, such as Company's( Corporation) Edison TM or Galileo TM SoC board.

[0108] Additionally or alternatively, the application circuitry 1402 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more field programmable devices (FPDs), such as FPGAs; programmable logic devices (PLDs), such as complex PLDs (CPLDs), high-capacity PLDs (HCPLDs), etc.; ASICs, such as structured ASICs; programmable system on chips (PSoCs); and so on. In such embodiments, the circuitry of the application circuitry 1402 may include logic blocks or logic architectures, as well as other interconnect resources that may be programmed to perform various functions such as the processes, methods, functions, etc. of the various embodiments discussed herein. In such embodiments, the circuitry of the application circuitry 1402 may include memory cells (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, static memory (e.g., static random access memory (SRAM), antifuse, etc.)) for storing logic blocks, logic architectures, data, etc. in look-up tables (LUTs), etc.

[0109] The baseband circuitry 1404 may be implemented, for example, as a soldered-in substrate that includes one or more integrated circuits, a single packaged integrated circuit soldered to the main circuit board, or a multi-chip module that includes two or more integrated circuits.

[0110] The radio front-end module 1406 may include a millimeter wave (mmWave) radio front-end module (RFEM) and one or more sub-millimeter wave radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs). In some embodiments, the one or more sub-millimeter wave RFICs may be physically separated from the mmWave RFEM. The RFIC may include connections to one or more antennas or antenna arrays, and the RFEM may be connected to multiple antennas. In an alternative embodiment, the radio functions of both millimeter wave and sub-millimeter wave may be implemented in the same physical radio front-end module 1406 that combines both millimeter wave antennas and sub-millimeter wave.

[0111] Memory circuit 1408 may include any number and type of memory devices for providing a given amount of system memory. For example, memory circuit 1408 may include one or more of the following: volatile memory, which includes random access memory (RAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), and / or synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM); and non-volatile memory (NVM), which includes high-speed electrically erasable memory (commonly referred to as flash memory), phase change random access memory (PRAM), magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), etc. Memory circuit 1408 may be developed according to JEDEC low-power double data rate (LPDDR)-based designs such as LPDDR2, LPDDR3, LPDDR4, etc. Memory circuit 1408 may be implemented as one or more of the following: a soldered-in package integrated circuit, a single die package (SDP), a dual die package (DDP), or a quad die package (Q17P), a socketed memory module, a dual in-line memory module (DIMM) including a micro DIMM or a mini DIMM, and / or soldered to a motherboard via a ball grid array (BGA). In a low-power implementation, memory circuit 1408 may be on-chip memory or registers associated with application circuit 1402. To provide persistent storage of information such as data, application programs, operating systems, etc., memory circuit 1408 may include one or more mass storage devices, which may particularly include solid state disk drives (SSDDs), hard disk drives (HDDs), micro HDDs, resistive change memories, phase change memories, holographic memories, or chemical memories, etc. For example, computer platform 1400 may incorporate 3D cross-point (XPOINT) memory obtained from and For three-dimensional (3D) cross-point (XPOINT) memory.

[0112] Removable memory 1426 may include devices, circuits, enclosures / cases, ports, or sockets, etc. for coupling a portable data storage device to platform 1400. These portable data storage devices may be used for mass storage and may include, for example, flash memory cards (e.g., Secure Digital (SD) cards, micro SD cards, xD Picture Cards, etc.), as well as USB flash drives, optical discs, external HDDs, etc.

[0113] Platform 1400 may also include interface circuitry (not shown) for connecting external devices to platform 1400. External devices connected to platform 1400 via this interface circuitry include sensors 1422 and electromechanical components (shown as EMC 1424), as well as removable memory devices coupled to removable memory 1426.

[0114] Sensor 1422 includes a device, module, or subsystem that is intended to detect an event or change in its environment and send information (sensor data) about the detected event to some other device, module, subsystem, etc. Examples of such sensors include, in particular: an inertial measurement unit (IMU) including an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and / or a magnetometer; a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) or nanoelectromechanical system (NEMS) including a three-axis accelerometer, a three-axis gyroscope, and / or a magnetometer; a liquid level sensor; a flow sensor; a temperature sensor (e.g., a thermistor); a pressure sensor; a barometric pressure sensor; a gravimeter; an altimeter; an image capture device (e.g., a camera or a lensless aperture); a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor; a proximity sensor (e.g., an infrared radiation detector, etc.), a depth sensor, an ambient light sensor, an ultrasonic transceiver; a microphone or other similar audio capture device; etc.

[0115] EMC 1424 includes a device, module, or subsystem that is intended to enable platform 1400 to change its state, position, and / or orientation or move or control a mechanism or (sub)system. Additionally, EMC 1424 may be configured to generate messages / signaling and send messages / signaling to other components of platform 1400 to indicate the current state of EMC 1424. Examples of EMC 1424 include one or more power switches, relays (including electromechanical relays (EMR) and / or solid-state relays (SSR)), actuators (e.g., valve actuators, etc.), audible sound generators, visual warning devices, motors (e.g., DC motors, stepper motors, etc.), wheels, thrusters, propellers, claws, clamps, hooks, and / or other similar electromechanical components. In an embodiment, platform 1400 is configured to operate one or more EMC 1424 based on one or more captured events and / or instructions or control signals received from a service provider and / or various clients. In some specific implementations, the interface circuit may connect platform 1400 to positioning circuit 1416.

[0116] In some specific implementations, the interface circuit may connect the platform 1400 to a near field communication circuit (shown as NFC circuit 1412). The NFC circuit 1412 is configured to provide contactless short-range communication based on radio frequency identification (RFID) standards, where magnetic field sensing is used to enable communication between the NFC circuit 1412 and an NFC-enabled device (e.g., an "NFC contact point") external to the platform 1400. The NFC circuit 1412 includes an NFC controller coupled to an antenna element and a processor coupled to the NFC controller. The NFC controller may be a chip / IC that provides NFC functionality to the NFC circuit 1412 by executing NFC controller firmware and an NFC stack. The NFC stack may be executed by the processor to control the NFC controller, and the NFC controller firmware may be executed by the NFC controller to control the antenna element to transmit short-range RF signals. The RF signals may power a passive NFC tag (e.g., a microchip embedded in a sticker or wristband) to transfer stored data to the NFC circuit 1412, or initiate data transfer between the NFC circuit 1412 and another active NFC device (e.g., a smart phone or an NFC-enabled POS terminal) near the platform 1400.

[0117] The drive circuit 1418 may include software elements and hardware elements for controlling specific devices embedded in, attached to, or otherwise communicatively coupled to the platform 1400. The drive circuit 1418 may include various drivers, thereby allowing other components of the platform 1400 to interact with or control various input / output (I / O) devices that may be present within or connected to the platform 1400. For example, the drive circuit 1418 may include: a display driver for controlling and allowing access to a display device, a touchscreen driver for controlling and allowing access to the touchscreen interface of the platform 1400, a sensor driver for obtaining sensor readings from the sensor 1422 and controlling and allowing access to the sensor 1422, an EMC driver for obtaining the actuator position of the EMC 1424 and / or controlling and allowing access to the EMC 1424, a camera driver for controlling and allowing access to an embedded image capture device, and an audio driver for controlling and allowing access to one or more audio devices.

[0118] The power management integrated circuit (shown as PMIC 1410 (also referred to as the "power management circuit") may manage the power provided to various components of the platform 1400. Specifically, with respect to the baseband circuit 1404, the PMIC 1410 may control power selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion. When the platform 1400 can be powered by a battery 1414, e.g., when the device is included in a UE, the PMIC 1410 is typically included.

[0119] In some embodiments, the PMIC 1410 can control or otherwise be part of the various power saving mechanisms of the platform 1400. For example, if the platform 1400 is in the RRC connected state, in which the platform remains connected to the RAN node because it expects to receive traffic soon, after a period of inactivity, the platform can enter a state called discontinuous reception mode (DRX). During this state, the platform 1400 can power down for short intervals, thus saving power. If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period, the platform 1400 can 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 platform 1400 enters a very low power state and performs paging, in which the device wakes up periodically again to listen for the network and then powers down again. The platform 1400 may not receive data while in this state; to receive data, the platform must transition back to the RRC_Connected state. Additional power saving modes can make the device unavailable to the network for longer than the paging interval (ranging from a few seconds to several hours). During this period, the device is completely unable to connect to the network and can be powered down completely. Any data sent during this period will incur a significant delay, and it is assumed that the delay is acceptable.

[0120] The battery 1414 can power the platform 1400, but in some examples, the platform 1400 can be installed in a fixed location and can have a power source coupled to the power grid. The battery 1414 can be a lithium-ion battery, a metal-air battery such as a zinc-air battery, an aluminum-air battery, a lithium-air battery, etc. In some specific implementations, such as in V2X applications, the battery 1414 can be a typical lead-acid automotive battery.

[0121] In some specific implementations, the battery 1414 can be a "smart battery" that includes or is coupled to a battery management system (BMS) or a battery monitoring integrated circuit. The BMS can be included in the platform 1400 to track the state of charge (SoCh) of the battery 1414. The BMS can be used to monitor other parameters of the battery 1414, such as the state of health (SoH) and state of function (SoF) of the battery 1414 to provide fault prediction. The BMS can communicate information about the battery 1414 to the application circuit 1402 or other components of the platform 1400. The BMS can also include an analog-to-digital (ADC) converter that allows the application circuit 1402 to directly monitor the voltage of the battery 1414 or the current from the battery 1414. The battery parameters can be used to determine actions that the platform 1400 can perform, such as transmission frequency, network operation, sensing frequency, etc.

[0122] A power block or other power source coupled to the power grid can be coupled to the BMS to charge the battery 1414. In some examples, the power block can be replaced with a wireless power receiver to wirelessly obtain power, for example, via a loop antenna in the computer platform 1400. In these examples, the wireless battery charging circuit can be included in the BMS. The specific charging circuit selected can depend on the size of the battery 1414 and thus on the current required. Charging can be performed using the aviation fuel standards published by the Aviation Fuel Alliance, the Qi wireless charging standard published by the Wireless Power Consortium, or the Rezence charging standard published by the Wireless Power Consortium.

[0123] The user interface circuit 1420 includes various input / output (I / O) devices present within or connected to the platform 1400, and includes one or more user interfaces designed to enable interaction with the user of the platform 1400 and / or a peripheral component interface designed to enable interaction with the peripheral components of the platform 1400. The user interface circuit 1420 includes an input device circuit and an output device circuit. The input device circuit includes any physical or virtual means for accepting input, particularly including one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), a physical keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a touchpad, a touch screen, a microphone, a scanner, a headset, etc. The output device circuit includes any physical or virtual means for displaying information or otherwise communicating information (such as sensor readings, actuator positions, or other similar information). The output device circuit can include any number and / or combination of audio or visual displays, particularly including one or more simple visual outputs / indicators, such as binary state indicators (e.g., light-emitting diodes (LEDs)) and multi-character visual outputs, or more complex outputs, such as a display device or a touch screen (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), an LED display, a quantum dot display, a projector, etc.), where the output of characters, graphics, multimedia objects, etc. is generated or produced by the operation of the platform 1400. The output device circuit can also include a speaker or other audio emitting device, a printer, etc. In some embodiments, the sensor 1422 can be used as an input device circuit (e.g., an image capture device, a motion capture device, etc.) and one or more EMCs can be used as an output device circuit (e.g., an actuator for providing haptic feedback, etc.). In another example, an NFC circuit can be included to read an electronic tag and / or connect to another NFC-enabled device, the NFC circuit including an NFC controller and a processing device coupled to an antenna element. The peripheral component interface can include, but is not limited to, a non-volatile memory port, a USB port, an audio jack, a power interface, etc.

[0124] Although not shown, components of platform 1400 may communicate with each other using suitable bus or interconnect (IX) technologies, which may include any number of technologies, including ISA, EISA, PCI, PCix, PCie, Time-Triggered Protocol (TTP) systems, FlexRay systems, or any number of other technologies. The bus / IX may be a proprietary bus / IX, for example, used in an SoC-based system. Other bus / IX systems may be included, such as I 2 C interface, SPI interface, point-to-point interface, and power bus, etc.

[0125] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components shown in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, and / or methods described in the following example section. For example, the baseband circuitry described above in connection with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of the following examples. As another example, the circuitry associated with the UE, base station, network element, etc. described above in connection with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of the examples shown in the following example section.

[0126] Example section

[0127] The following examples relate to additional embodiments.

[0128] Example 1A may include a system for inter-cell mobility at a network, the system including: a first cell including: one or more processors; and one or more hardware storage devices storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the first cell to perform the following operations: encoding a first Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration message for transmission to a User Equipment (UE), the first RRC reconfiguration message including a first portion of configuration information for configuring the UE to perform a cell change to a second cell; and encoding a cell change message for transmission to the UE, the cell change message indicating that the cell change to the second cell will be performed; and a second cell including: one or more processors; and one or more hardware storage devices storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the second cell to perform the following operations: decoding a cell change confirmation received from the UE; and encoding a second RRC reconfiguration message for transmission to the UE, the second RRC reconfiguration message including a second portion of configuration information for configuring the UE to perform a cell change to the second cell, the second portion of the configuration information including the remaining portion of the configuration information for configuring the UE to perform the cell change to the second cell.

[0129] Example 2A may include the system of Example 1A, wherein the second RRC reconfiguration message includes a first downlink (DL) transmission sent by the second cell to the UE before any other DL transmission sent by the second cell to the UE.

[0130] Example 3A may include the system of Example 1A, wherein the second RRC reconfiguration message will be sent by the second cell to the UE within a predetermined time period.

[0131] Example 4A may include the system of Example 1A, wherein the first part of the configuration information includes at least one of a bandwidth part (BWP), a system information block 1 (SIB1), or a master information block (MIB), and the second part of the configuration information includes at least one of UE-specific configuration, measurement configuration, carrier aggregation (CA) information, or dual connectivity (DC) information.

[0132] Example 1B may include an apparatus that includes components for performing one or more elements of the method described in or related to any of the above embodiments or any other method or process described herein.

[0133] Example 2B may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media that 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 the method described in or related to any of the above embodiments or any other method or process described herein.

[0134] Example 3B may include an apparatus that includes logic components, modules, or circuits for performing one or more elements of the method described in or related to any of the above embodiments or any other method or process described herein.

[0135] Example 4B may include the method, technique, or process described in or related to any of the above embodiments or a part or component thereof.

[0136] Example 5B may include an apparatus that includes: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media that include instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the method, technique, or process described in or related to any of the above embodiments or a part thereof.

[0137] Example 6B may include the signal described in or related to any of the above embodiments or a part or component thereof.

[0138] Example 7B may include a datagram, packet, frame, segment, protocol data unit (PDU), or message, or a part or component thereof, described in or related to any of the above embodiments, or otherwise described in the present disclosure.

[0139] Example 8B may include a signal encoded with data, or a part or component thereof, described in or related to any of the above embodiments, or otherwise described in the present disclosure.

[0140] Example 9B may include a signal encoded with a datagram, packet, frame, segment, PDU, or message, or a part or component thereof, described in or related to any of the above embodiments, or otherwise described in the present disclosure.

[0141] Example 10B may include an electromagnetic signal carrying computer-readable instructions, where execution of the computer-readable instructions by one or more processors will cause the one or more processors to perform a method, technique, or process, or a part thereof, described in or related to any of the above embodiments.

[0142] Example 11B may include a computer program that includes instructions, where execution of the program by a processing element will cause the processing element to perform a method, technique, or process, or a part thereof, described in or related to any of the above embodiments.

[0143] Example 12B may include a signal in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0144] Example 13B may include a method of communicating in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0145] Example 14B may include a system for providing wireless communication as shown and described herein.

[0146] Example 15B may include a device for providing wireless communication as shown and described herein.

[0147] Unless otherwise explicitly stated, any of the above embodiments may be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments). The foregoing description of one or more specific embodiments provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings, or may be acquired from practice of various embodiments.

[0148] Embodiments and implementations of the systems and methods described herein may include various operations that may be embodied in machine-executable instructions to be executed by a computer system. The computer system may include one or more general-purpose or special-purpose computers (or other electronic devices). The computer system may include hardware components that include specific logic components for performing operations, or may include a combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware.

[0149] It should be recognized that the systems described herein include a description of specific embodiments. These embodiments may be combined into a single system, partially incorporated into other systems, divided into multiple systems, or otherwise partitioned or combined. Additionally, it is contemplated that the parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of one embodiment may be used in another embodiment. For clarity, these parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. are described in only one or more embodiments, and it should be recognized that unless specifically stated herein, these parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. may be combined with or substituted for the parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of another embodiment.

[0150] It is well known that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of inadvertent or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly explained to the user.

[0151] Although the foregoing has been described in considerable detail for purposes of clarity, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications may be made without departing from the principles of the invention. It should be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing both the processes and apparatus described herein. Accordingly, the embodiments of the invention are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive, and the specification is not limited to the details given herein but may be modified within the scope and equivalents of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for inter-cell mobility at a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: Decoding a first radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message received from a first cell, the first RRC reconfiguration message including a first part of configuration information for performing a cell change to a second cell; Decoding a cell change message received from the first cell, the cell change message indicating that a cell change to the second cell will be performed; Encoding a cell change confirmation for transmission to the second cell; And Decoding a second RRC reconfiguration message received from the second cell, the second RRC reconfiguration message including a second part of configuration information for performing the cell change to the second cell, the second part of the configuration information including the remaining part of the configuration information for performing the cell change to the second cell.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first part of the configuration information includes at least one of a bandwidth part (BWP), a system information block type 1 (SIB1), or a master information block (MIB).

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the UE encodes the cell change confirmation for transmission to the second cell before receiving the second RRC reconfiguration message.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second RRC reconfiguration message further includes the first part of the configuration information of the first RRC reconfiguration message.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second part of the configuration information is limited to configuration information not included in the first part of the configuration information.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second RRC reconfiguration message further includes a third part of configuration information for performing a new cell change to a third cell.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the UE stores the third part of the configuration information for a possible future cell change to the third cell.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising applying the second part of the configuration information immediately after decoding the second RRC reconfiguration message.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second part of the configuration information includes at least one of UE-specific configuration, measurement configuration, carrier aggregation (CA) information, or dual connectivity (DC) information.

10. An apparatus for use in a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: One or more processors; And One or more hardware storage devices storing computer-executable instructions thereon, the computer-executable instructions being executable by the one or more processors to cause the apparatus to perform the following operations: Decoding a first radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message received from a first cell, the first RRC reconfiguration message including a first part of configuration information for performing a cell change to a second cell; Decoding a cell change message received from the first cell, The cell change message indicating that a cell change to the second cell will be performed; Encode a cell change confirmation for transmission to the second cell; and Decode a second RRC reconfiguration message received from the second cell, the second RRC reconfiguration message including a second part of configuration information for performing the cell change to the second cell, the second part of the configuration information including the remaining part of the configuration information for performing the cell change to the second cell.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the cell change confirmation includes a random access channel (RACH) procedure.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein an RACH configuration for performing the RACH procedure is included in the first part of the configuration information for performing the cell change to the second cell.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the UE obtains a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) through the RACH procedure.

14. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the cell change confirmation includes one of a scheduling request (SR), a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmission, or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the one of the SR, the PUCCH transmission, or the PUSCH transmission is included in the first part of the configuration information for performing the cell change to the second cell.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the UE obtains a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) within the first part of the configuration information.

17. A system for inter-cell mobility at a network, the system comprising: A first cell, the first cell including: One or more processors; and One or more hardware storage devices having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, the computer-executable instructions being executable by the one or more processors to cause the first cell to perform the following operations: Encode a first radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message for transmission to a user equipment (UE), the first RRC reconfiguration message including a first part of configuration information for configuring the UE to perform a cell change to a second cell; and Encode a cell change message for transmission to the UE, the cell change message indicating that a cell change to the second cell will be performed; and A second cell, the second cell including: One or more processors; and One or more hardware storage devices having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, the computer-executable instructions being executable by the one or more processors to cause the second cell to perform the following operations: Decode a cell change confirmation received from the UE; and Encode a second RRC reconfiguration message for transmission to the UE, the second RRC reconfiguration message including a second part of configuration information for configuring the UE to perform the cell change to the second cell, the second part of the configuration information including the remaining part of the configuration information for configuring the UE to perform the cell change to the second cell.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the second RRC reconfiguration message includes a first downlink DL transmission sent by the second cell to the UE before any other DL transmission is sent by the second cell to the UE.

19. The system according to claim 17, wherein the second RRC reconfiguration message will be sent by the second cell to the UE within a predetermined time period.

20. The system according to claim 17, wherein the first part of the configuration information includes at least one of a bandwidth part BWP, a system information block 1 SIB1, or a master information block MIB, and the second part of the configuration information includes at least one of UE-specific configuration, measurement configuration, carrier aggregation CA information, or dual connectivity DC information.

21. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a computer program, which when executed by one or more processors causes a device to perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1-9.

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