Method and apparatus for CHO and fast MCG link recovery

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application relate to methods and devices for conditional handover (CHO) and fast MCG link recovery. According to an embodiment of the present application, a method may include: receiving fast master cell group (MCG) link recovery configuration information; receiving CHO configuration information indicating a set of CHO configurations and a set of execution conditions for a set of cells, each cell being associated with a CHO configuration and an execution condition; and evaluating the set of execution conditions based on the CHO configuration information. Embodiments of the present application may define UE behavior when both MCG link recovery procedures and CHO procedures are configured for a UE.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present application generally relate to wireless communication technologies, and in particular, to methods and devices for conditional handover (CHO) and fast master cell group (MCG) link recovery. Background Art

[0002] In the 16th version of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), the MCG link recovery process was introduced. The purpose of this process is to notify the master node (MN) of a radio link failure (RLF) in the MCG, so that a user equipment (UE) in the RRC_CONNECTED state can quickly execute the MCG link recovery process to continue the radio resource control (RRC) connection without performing a reconstruction process.

[0003] In addition, the CHO process is defined as a handover process performed by the UE when one or more handover execution conditions are met. During the CHO process, the UE can start evaluating the execution conditions after receiving the CHO configuration information, and stop evaluating the execution conditions during the CHO execution once the execution conditions are met.

[0004] Both the MCG link recovery process and the CHO process can be configured for the UE. However, in the 3GPP 5G New Radio (NR) technology, there is no discussion on how to handle the association between the fast MCG link recovery process and the CHO process.

[0005] Therefore, the industry expects improved technologies for CHO and fast MCG link recovery to define UE behavior when both the MCG link recovery process and the CHO process are configured for the UE. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Some embodiments of the present application provide technical solutions for CHO and fast MCG link recovery.

[0007] According to some embodiments of the present application, a method may include: receiving fast master cell group (MCG) link recovery configuration information; receiving CHO configuration information indicating a set of conditional handover (CHO) configurations and a set of execution conditions for a set of cells, each cell being associated with the CHO configuration and the execution conditions; and evaluating the set of execution conditions based on the CHO configuration information.

[0008] In an embodiment of the present application, the method may further include: in response to a radio link failure in the MCG, starting a fast MCG link recovery process and starting a timer associated with the fast MCG link recovery process; and stopping evaluating the set of execution conditions after starting the fast MCG link recovery process.

[0009] In another embodiment of the present application, the method may further comprise: in response to a radio link failure in the MCG, initiating a fast MCG link recovery procedure and starting a timer associated with the fast MCG link recovery procedure; and not performing a CHO procedure during the fast MCG link recovery procedure.

[0010] In yet another embodiment of the present application, the method may further comprise: performing a CHO procedure when the execution condition is met and a timer associated with the fast MCG link recovery procedure is not running.

[0011] In yet another embodiment of the present application, the method may further comprise: in response to a radio link failure in the MCG, initiating a fast MCG link recovery procedure and starting a timer associated with the fast MCG link recovery procedure; performing a CHO procedure when the execution condition is met and the timer is running; and in response to performing the CHO procedure, stopping the timer associated with the fast MCG link recovery procedure when the timer associated with the fast MCG link recovery procedure is running.

[0012] In yet another embodiment of the present application, the method may further comprise: in response to the radio link failure, transmitting MCG failure information; and in response to the MCG failure information, receiving a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message, wherein the RRC reconfiguration message includes a handover (HO) command for a cell, and the cell is one of the group of cells having the CHO configuration or another cell other than the group of cells.

[0013] According to some other embodiments of the present application, a method may comprise: receiving fast primary cell group link recovery configuration information; starting a first timer in response to receiving a plurality of out-of-sync indications; starting a second timer in response to triggering a measurement report regarding the MCG; and declaring a radio link failure in the MCG in response to expiration of the second timer.

[0014] Some embodiments of the present application also provide an apparatus, comprising: at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored therein, at least one receiving circuit system; at least one transmitting circuit system; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium, the at least one receiving circuit system, and the at least one transmitting circuit system. The computer-executable instructions are programmed to implement any of the methods described above using the at least one receiving circuit system, the at least one transmitting circuit system, and the at least one processor.

[0015] Embodiments of the present application provide technical solutions for CHO and fast MCG link recovery. Thus, when both the MCG link recovery process and the CHO process are configured for a UE, embodiments of the present application can define UE behavior. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] To describe the manner in which the advantages and features of the present application can be obtained, a description of the present application is presented by reference to specific embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. These drawings only depict example embodiments of the present application and are thus not considered to limit its scope.

[0017] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of a wireless communication system according to some embodiments of the present application;

[0018] Figure 2 Exemplary flowchart illustrating a fast MCG link recovery process according to some embodiments of the present application;

[0019] Figure 3 Exemplary flowchart illustrating a CHO process according to some embodiments of the present application;

[0020] Figure 4 Flowchart illustrating a method for CHO and fast MCG link recovery according to some embodiments of the present application;

[0021] Figure 5 Flowchart illustrating a method for fast MCG link recovery according to some embodiments of the present application;

[0022] Figure 6 Simplified block diagram of a device 600 for CHO and fast MCG link recovery according to some embodiments of the present application; and

[0023] Figure 7 Simplified block diagram of a device 700 for fast MCG link recovery according to some embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The detailed description of the drawings is intended as a description of the preferred embodiments of the present application and is not intended to represent the only form in which the present application can be practiced. It should be understood that the same or equivalent functions can be implemented by different embodiments, which are intended to be covered within the spirit and scope of the present application.

[0025] Reference will now be made in detail to some embodiments of the present application, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. For ease of understanding, the embodiments are provided in the context of a specific network architecture and new service scenarios, such as 3GPP 5G, 3GPP LTE Release 8, etc. It is contemplated that, as the network architecture and new service scenarios evolve, all embodiments in the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems; and furthermore, the terms cited in the present application may change, which should not affect the principles of the present application.

[0026] The Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) supports Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC) operation. In MR-DC operation, a UE having multiple transceivers may be configured to utilize resources provided by two different nodes via a non-ideal backhaul connection. Among them, one node may provide NR access, while the other node may provide Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) (E-UTRA) or NR access. One node may act as a Master Node (MN), while the other node may act as a Secondary Node (SN). The MN and the SN are connected via a network interface (e.g., the Xn interface as specified in the 3GPP standard document), and at least the MN is connected to the core network.

[0027] For example, Figure 1 Schematic diagram illustrating a wireless communication system according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0028] As Figure 1 shown, the wireless communication system 100 may be a dual-connectivity system 100, which includes at least one User Equipment (UE) 101, at least one MN 102, and at least one SN 103. Specifically, for illustrative purposes, Figure 1 the dual-connectivity system 100 in Figure 1 includes one shown UE 101, one shown MN 102, and one shown SN 103. Although a specific number of UEs 101, MNs 102, and SNs 103 are depicted in

[0029] Reference Figure 1 , the UE 101 may be connected to the MN 102 and the SN 103 via a network interface (e.g., the Uu interface as specified in the 3GPP standard document). The MN 102 and the SN 103 may be connected to each other via a network interface (e.g., the Xn interface as specified in the 3GPP standard document). The MN 102 may be connected to the core network via a network interface ( Figure 1 not shown in

[0030] MN 102 may refer to a radio access node that provides a control plane connection to the core network. In an embodiment of the present application, in an E-UTRA-NR DC (EN-DC) scenario, the MN may be an eNB. In another embodiment of the present application, in a next-generation E-UTRA-NR DC (NGEN-DC) scenario, the MN may be an ng-eNB. In yet another embodiment of the present application, in an NR-DC scenario or an NR-E-UTRA DC (NE-DC) scenario, the MN may be a gNB.

[0031] The MN may be associated with the MCG. The MCG may refer to a set of serving cells associated with the MN, and may include a primary cell (PCell) and optionally one or more secondary cells (SCells). The PCell may provide a control plane connection to the UE 101.

[0032] SN 103 may refer to a radio access node that does not have a control plane connection to the core network but provides additional resources to the UE. In an embodiment of the present application, in an EN-DC scenario, the SN may be an en-gNB. In another embodiment of the present application, in a NE-DC scenario, the SN may be an ng-eNB. In yet another embodiment of the present application, in an NR-DC scenario or an NGEN-DC scenario, the SN may be a gNB.

[0033] The SN may be associated with a secondary cell group (SCG). The SCG may refer to a set of serving cells associated with the SN, and may include a primary secondary cell (PSCell) and optionally one or more secondary cells (SCells).

[0034] The PCell of the MCG and the PSCell of the SCG may also be referred to as special cells (SpCell).

[0035] In some embodiments of the present application, the UE 101 may include a computing device, such as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a smart TV (e.g., a TV connected to the Internet), a set-top box, a game console, a security system (including security cameras), an in-vehicle computer, a network device (such as a router, a switch, and a modem), etc. In some other embodiments of the present application, the UE 101 may include a portable wireless communication device, a smart phone, a cellular phone, a flip phone, a device with a subscriber identity module, a personal computer, a selective call receiving circuitry, or any other device capable of transmitting and receiving communication signals over a wireless network. In some other embodiments of the present application, the UE 101 may include a wearable device, such as a smart watch, a fitness band, an optical head-mounted display, etc. Additionally, the UE 101 may be referred to as a subscriber unit, a mobile device, a mobile station, a user, a terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a fixed terminal, a subscriber station, a user terminal or device, or described using other terms used in the art.

[0036] In Release 16 of 3GPP, a fast MCG link recovery procedure is introduced for the MR-DU. The purpose of this procedure is to notify the MN of the RLF in the MCG via the SN connected to the UE, so that the UE in the RRC_CONNECTED state can initiate the fast MCG link recovery procedure to quickly resume the RRC connection without performing a reconstruction procedure.

[0037] For example, Figure 2 FIG. illustrates an exemplary flowchart of a fast MCG link recovery procedure according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0038] As Figure 2 shown, in the case where an RLF occurs in the MCG of the UE 101, the UE 101 may initiate (or trigger) the fast MCG link recovery procedure. For example, in step 201, the UE 101 may transmit a message associated with the RLF to the MN 102 via the SN 103. In an embodiment of the present application, the RLF in the MCG may refer to the RLF that occurs in the PCell of the MCG. In an embodiment of the present application, the message associated with the RLF in step 201 may be an MCG Failure Information message as specified in the 3GPP standard document. The UE 101 may not directly transmit the message associated with the RLF to the MN 102. Instead, the UE 101 may transmit the message associated with the RLF to the SN 103, and then the SN 103 may transmit the message received from the UE to the MN 102.

[0039] For example, the UE may be configured to have a split signaling radio bearer (SRB) 1 or SRB3 to report MCG failure information when RLF occurs in the MCG. In the case where split SRB1 is configured, the UE 101 may submit an MCG Failure Information message to the lower layer, for example, for transmission via SRB1. In the case where SRB3 is configured, the UE 101 may submit an MCG Failure Information message to the lower layer for transmission via SRB3. For example, the MCG Failure Information message may be embedded in the NR RRC message UL Information Transfer MRDC specified in the 3GPP standard document for transmission via SRB3.

[0040] When transmitting the message in or after step 201, the UE 201 may start a timer associated with the fast MCG link recovery procedure. In an embodiment of the present application, the timer associated with the fast MCG link recovery procedure may be T316 specified in the 3GPP standard document.

[0041] After receiving the message associated with RLF, in step 202, the MN 102 may transmit a response message to the UE 101. The response message in step 202 may be an RRC reconfiguration message or an RRC release message containing a handover (HO) command for the cell. In an embodiment of the present application, the handover command may be the reconfigurationWithSync configuration specified in the 3GPP standard document. The MN 102 may not directly transmit the response message to the UE 101. Instead, the MN 102 may transmit the response message to the SN 103, and then the SN 103 may transmit the response message to the UE 101.

[0042] For example, in the case where SRB3 is configured to transmit the message associated with RLF, after receiving the response message from the MN 102, the SN 103 may encapsulate the response message in a DL Information Transfer MRDC message specified in the 3GPP standard document, and then transmit the DL Information Transfer MRDC message to the UE 101.

[0043] Before the timer (e.g., T316) expires, if the UE 101 receives either an RRC reconfiguration message or an RRC release message, the UE 101 shall stop the timer, which means the fast MCG link recovery process terminates. If the UE 101 receives an RRC reconfiguration message containing a handover command for the cell, the UE may perform a handover of the UE to the cell. If the UE 101 receives an RRC release message, the UE shall enter the RRC_IDLE state.

[0044] In some embodiments of the present application, the UE does not receive any response message from the MN 102 before the timer expires. The UE 101 performs an RRC reconstruction process after the timer expires.

[0045] In addition, the UE 101 may also be configured with a CHO process. The CHO process is defined as a handover process performed by the UE when one or more handover execution conditions are met. During the CHO process, the UE may start evaluating the execution conditions after receiving the CHO configuration information, and once the execution conditions are met, stop evaluating the execution conditions during the CHO execution.

[0046] For example, Figure 3 illustrates an exemplary flowchart of the CHO process according to some embodiments of the present application. As Figure 3 shown, it depicts a basic condition handover scenario where neither the access and mobility management function (AMF) nor the user plane function (UPF) changes.

[0047] Referring to Figure 3 , in step 300, the AMF may provide the UE context of the UE to the source base station (BS). The UE context may contain information about the roaming and access restrictions of the UE.

[0048] In step 301, the source BS may transmit measurement configuration information to the UE. The UE may report measurement results to the source BS based on the measurement configuration information.

[0049] In step 302, the source BS may decide to use CHO for the UE, which may be based on the measurement results reported by the UE.

[0050] In step 303, the source BS may transmit a CHO request message to one or more candidate BSs. For example, the one or more candidate BSs may include the target BS and other potential target BSs.

[0051] In step 304, the target BS and other potential target BSs may perform admission control to decide whether to allow the CHO of the UE after receiving the CHO request message from the source BS.

[0052] In step 305, based on the admission control result, the target BS and at least one of the other potential target BSs may transmit a CHO response message to the source BS. The CHO response message may include CHO configurations of one or more candidate cells.

[0053] In step 306, the source BS may transmit an RRC reconfiguration message to the UE. The RRC reconfiguration message may include conditional handover (CHO) configuration information indicating a set of CHO configurations and a set of execution conditions for a set of cells, each cell being associated with a CHO configuration and an execution condition. The set of cells may include one or more candidate cells provided by the target BS and at least one of the other potential target BSs.

[0054] The CHO configuration associated with a cell may include parameters for the UE to perform a handover to the cell. For example, the CHO configuration associated with a cell may include parameters for the UE to access the cell and / or perform data transmission with the cell.

[0055] The execution condition may include one or two trigger conditions. For example, in the case where the execution condition includes one trigger condition, the trigger condition may be an A3 event or an A5 event as specified in the 3GPP standard document TS38.331. In the case where the execution condition includes two trigger conditions, the two trigger conditions may be an A3 event and an A5 event as specified in the 3GPP standard document TS38.331. Additionally, only a single reference signal (RS) type may be used to evaluate the execution condition of a single cell, and at most two different execution metrics may be configured simultaneously to evaluate the execution condition of a single cell. For example, the two different execution metrics may be reference signal received power (RSRP) and reference signal received quality (RSRQ), or RSRP and signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), etc. In some embodiments of the present application, more than one execution condition may be satisfied, that is, more than one cell is suitable for the handover of the UE. In this case, the UE may select a cell for performing CHO based on the execution metric.

[0056] After receiving the RRC reconfiguration message, in step 307, the UE may transmit an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the source BS.

[0057] In step 308, the UE may maintain the connection with the source BS and start evaluating a set of execution conditions for a set of cells. Before any execution condition is satisfied, when receiving a handover (HO) command without a CHO configuration, the UE may perform an HO procedure regardless of any previously received CHO configuration information. Otherwise, in the case where at least one execution condition of at least one cell is satisfied, in step 309, the UE may detach from the source BS and perform (or apply) a CHO procedure on the cell selected from at least one cell. The selected cell may be referred to as the target cell.

[0058] Performing the CHO process on the selected cell may include applying the corresponding CHO configuration to the selected cell. When performing the CHO process, i.e., when the UE starts synchronizing with the selected cell, the UE no longer monitors the source BS. The UE may complete the CHO process by transmitting an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the target cell.

[0059] In step 310, the UE, the source BS, the target BS, and the core network (e.g., the AMF and / or the UPF) may perform data forwarding and path switching.

[0060] As stated above, both the MCG link recovery process and the CHO process may be configured for the UE. However, how to handle the association between the fast MCG link recovery process and the CHO process has not been discussed in the 3GPP 5G NR technology yet.

[0061] For example, when an RLF occurs in the MCG, the UE may initiate the fast MCG link recovery process. Additionally, during the fast MCG link recovery process, the CHO condition may be satisfied. In this case, the UE behavior needs to be further defined.

[0062] Embodiments of the present application may provide solutions for CHO and fast MCG link recovery. Therefore, when both the MCG link recovery process and the CHO process are configured for the UE, embodiments of the present application may define the UE behavior. More details about the embodiments of the present application will be described in the following text with reference to the drawings.

[0063] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating a method for CHO and fast MCG link recovery according to some embodiments of the present application. The method may be performed by a UE 101 as shown in Figure 1 For example, the UE 101 may be in an MR-DC scenario, where the UE 101 is connected to an MN 102 and an SN 103.

[0064] As shown in Figure 4 In step 402, the UE 101 may receive fast MCG link recovery configuration information from a BS (e.g., the MN 102 as shown in Figure 1 When the UE 101 receives the fast MCG link recovery configuration information, the UE 101 is allowed to use the fast MCG link recovery process when an RLF occurs in the MCG. In embodiments of the present application, the fast MCG link recovery configuration information may include the value of a timer associated with the fast MCG link recovery process. For example, the timer may be T316 as specified in the 3GPP standard document.

[0065] In addition to the fast MCG link recovery configuration information, in step 404, the UE 101 may further receive CHO configuration information indicating a set of CHO configurations and a set of execution conditions for a set of cells, where each cell is associated with a CHO configuration and an execution condition. The set of CHO configurations means one or more CHO configurations, the set of execution conditions means one or more execution conditions, and the set of cells means one or more cells. In some embodiments of the present application, the set of cells includes one or more candidate cells indicated in the CHO configuration messages from at least one of the target BS and other potential target BSs, as shown in step 305 of Figure 3 as shown.

[0066] The CHO configuration associated with a cell may include parameters for the UE to perform a handover to the cell. For example, the CHO configuration associated with a cell includes parameters for the UE to access the cell and / or perform data transmission with the cell.

[0067] The execution condition includes one or two trigger conditions. For example, in the case where the execution condition includes one trigger condition, the trigger condition may be an A3 event or an A5 event specified in the 3GPP standard document TS38.331. In the case where the execution condition includes two trigger conditions, the two trigger conditions may be an A3 event and an A5 event specified in the 3GPP standard document TS38.331. Additionally, only a single RS type can be used to evaluate the execution condition of a single cell, and at most two different execution metrics can be configured simultaneously to evaluate the execution condition of a single cell. For example, the two different execution metrics may be RSRP and RSRQ, or RSRP and SINR, etc.

[0068] Although Figure 4 step 404 is shown to occur after step 402, step 404 may actually occur before step 402 or simultaneously with step 402.

[0069] After receiving the CHO configuration information, the UE 101 evaluates the set of execution conditions based on the CHO configuration information. For example, for each cell in the set of cells, the UE may measure the execution metrics (e.g., RSRP and RSRQ) of the reference signal (e.g., channel state information reference signal) of the cell and evaluate whether one or two trigger conditions (e.g., A3 and / or A5) of the cell are satisfied. In some embodiments of the present application, more than one execution condition may be satisfied, that is, more than one cell is suitable for the handover of the UE. In this case, the UE may select a cell for performing CHO based on the execution conditions.

[0070] During the evaluation of the set of execution conditions by UE 101 based on the CHO configuration information, an RLF may occur in the MCG. According to some embodiments of the present application, UE 101 declares a radio link failure in the MCG in response to one of the following: the out-of-synchronization timer expires, a random access problem occurs, the maximum number of retransmissions is reached, a timer started in response to triggering a measurement report expires.

[0071] In an embodiment of the present application, the out-of-synchronization timer may be T310 as specified in the 3GPP standard document. For example, when a physical layer problem of the SpCell is detected, that is, when several consecutive out-of-synchronization indications are received from the lower layer, T310 may be started. The number of consecutive out-of-synchronization indications may be N310 as specified in the 3GPP standard document.

[0072] In another embodiment of the present application, a random access problem may be indicated by an indication from the MCG media access control (MAC) layer.

[0073] In yet another embodiment of the present application, the maximum number of retransmissions reached may be indicated by an indication from the MCG radio link control (RLC) layer.

[0074] In yet another embodiment of the present application, the timer started in response to triggering a measurement report may be T312 as specified in the 3GPP standard document. For example, T312 may be started when T310 is running.

[0075] According to some embodiments of the present application, in response to a radio link failure in the MCG, UE initiates a fast MCG link recovery process as Figure 2 shown, and starts a timer associated with the fast MCG link recovery process. For example, the timer associated with the fast MCG link recovery process may be T316 as specified in the 3GPP standard document.

[0076] In an embodiment of the present application, UE 101 may stop evaluating the set of execution conditions after initiating the fast MCG link recovery process. In another embodiment of the present application, UE 101 may not perform the CHO process during the fast MCG link recovery process. In other words, when the timer associated with the fast MCG link recovery process (e.g., T316) is running, UE may not perform the CHO process. For example, performing the CHO process may include applying the CHO configuration to a cell that meets the execution conditions.

[0077] According to some other embodiments of the present application, whether to perform the CHO process may be based on whether a timer associated with the fast MCG link recovery process (e.g., T316) is running. In an embodiment of the present application, when the execution condition of the cell is met and the timer associated with the fast MCG link recovery process (e.g., T316) is not running, the UE may perform the CHO process on the cell that meets the execution condition. In other words, when the execution condition of the cell is met and the timer associated with the fast MCG link recovery process is not running, the UE 101 may apply the CHO configuration to the cell.

[0078] According to some embodiments of the present application, in response to a radio link failure in the MCG, the UE may initiate the fast MCG link recovery process as Figure 2 shown and start a timer associated with the fast MCG link recovery process. For example, the timer associated with the fast MCG link recovery process may be T316 as specified in the 3GPP standard document. In some embodiments of the present application, when the execution condition of the cell is met and the timer is running, the UE 101 may also perform the CHO process on the cell. Therefore, in response to performing the CHO process, the UE may stop the timer associated with the fast MCG link recovery process.

[0079] In another embodiment of the present application, the UE may resume a part or all of the radio bearers (RBs) that were suspended when initiating the fast MCG link recovery process.

[0080] In yet another embodiment of the present application, the UE may transmit an RRC indication for performing the CHO process to the MN 102. For example, the RRC indication may be transmitted to the MN 102 via the SN 103.

[0081] In yet another embodiment of the present application, the UE may release the connection with the SN (e.g., the SN 103 as Figure 1 shown). For example, when the execution condition of the cell is met, the UE may resume releasing the connection with the SN.

[0082] According to some embodiments of the present application, in response to a radio link failure in the MCG, the UE may initiate the fast MCG link recovery process as Figure 2The fast MCG link recovery process shown in. During the fast MCG link recovery process, the UE 101 may receive an RRC reconfiguration message containing an HO command (e.g., reconfigurationWithSync configuration) for a cell (e.g., cell A). The UE 101 may perform an HO to cell A according to the HO command. In the case where the HO to the cell fails, the UE may initiate a reconstruction process. During the reconstruction process, in the case of selecting cell A with a CHO configuration, the UE may perform a CHO process on cell A. However, performing a CHO process on cell A may also fail because: 1) the CHO configuration may have been updated; and 2) even if the CHO configuration of cell A has not been modified, since the HO to cell A has just failed, the HO process of cell A will fail again.

[0083] According to some embodiments of the present application, in order to prevent the UE 101 from repeating meaningless CHO processes, in response to an RLF in the MCG, the UE 101 may transmit MCG failure information to the MN 102. The MCG failure information may indicate the type of failure. In the case where an RLF in the MCG is declared based on the expiration of an out-of-sync timer (e.g., T310), the UE may set the type of failure to t310-expiry. In the case where an RLF in the MCG is declared based on the occurrence of a random access problem, the UE may set the type of failure to randomAaccessProblem. In the case where an RLF in the MCG is declared based on reaching the maximum number of retransmissions, the UE may set the type of failure to rlc-MaxNumRetx. In the case where an RLF in the MCG is declared based on the expiration of a timer (e.g., T312) started in response to triggering a measurement report, the UE may set the type of failure to t312-expiry.

[0084] The UE may receive an RRC reconfiguration message in response to the MCG failure information. The RRC reconfiguration message may contain an HO command for a cell. The cell may be one of a group of cells with a CHO configuration, or another cell other than the group of cells.

[0085] In an embodiment of the present application, in the case where the cell is one of a group of cells with a CHO configuration, the UE101 may remove the CHO configuration of the cell, so that the UE 101 may not perform a CHO process on the cell.

[0086] In another embodiment of the present application, in addition to the HO command, the RRC reconfiguration message may further contain at least one of the following: information about modifying the CHO configuration of at least one cell in a group of cells; and information about removing the CHO configuration of at least one cell in the group of cells. After receiving the RRC reconfiguration message, the UE may not perform a CHO process on the cell with the removed CHO configuration.

[0087] As stated above, the expiration of T310 as specified in the 3GPP standard document can be used to declare RLF in the MCG and to initiate the fast MCG link recovery procedure. However, T310 typically has a relatively long time period. In some cases, initiating the fast MCG link recovery procedure after the expiration of T310 may affect the transmission efficiency of the UE. In view of this, embodiments of the present application also provide a solution for improving fast MCG link recovery such that the fast MCG link recovery procedure can be initiated according to a timer having a relatively short time period.

[0088] For example, Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating a method for fast MCG link recovery according to some embodiments of the present application. The method can be performed by a UE 101 as shown in Figure 1 . For example, the UE 101 can be in an MR-DC scenario where the UE 101 is connected to an MN 102 and an SN 103.

[0089] As shown in Figure 5 , in step 502, the UE 101 can receive fast MCG link recovery configuration information from a BS (e.g., the MN 102 as shown in Figure 1 ). When the UE 101 receives the fast MCG link recovery configuration information, the UE 101 can use the fast MCG link recovery procedure when an RLF occurs in the MCG. In embodiments of the present application, the fast MCG link recovery configuration information includes the value of a timer associated with the fast MCG link recovery procedure. For example, the timer can be T316 as specified in the 3GPP standard document.

[0090] In step 504, in response to receiving a number of out-of-sync indications, the UE can start a first timer. In embodiments of the present application, the number of out-of-sync indications can be the number of consecutive out-of-sync indications. In another embodiment of the present application, the number of consecutive out-of-sync indications can be N310 as specified in the 3GPP standard document. In yet another embodiment of the present application, the first timer can be T310 as specified in the 3GPP standard document.

[0091] In step 506, in response to the UE 101 triggering a measurement report regarding the MCG, the UE 101 can start a second timer. In embodiments of the present application, the second timer started in response to triggering the measurement report can be T312 as specified in the 3GPP standard document.

[0092] In step 508, the UE 101 can declare a radio link failure in the MCG in response to the expiration of the second timer.

[0093] In an embodiment of the present application, in response to a radio link failure in the MCG, the UE 101 may initiate a fast MCG link recovery process, for example, as shown in Figure 2 . The UE 101 may also stop the first timer.

[0094] In another embodiment of the present application, in step 510, in response to a radio link failure in the MCG, the UE 101 may transmit MCG fault information indicating a fault type attributed to the expiration of the second timer to the MN. For example, the UE may set the fault type to t312-expiry.

[0095] Different from the prior art in which the UE may initiate an RRC reestablishment process in the case of the expiration of T312, the embodiments of the present application provide a technical solution in which the expiration of T312 is used to declare an RLF in the MCG and initiate a fast MCG link recovery process.

[0096] Figure 6 A simplified block diagram of a device 600 for CHO and fast MCG link recovery according to some embodiments of the present application is illustrated. The device 600 may be a UE 101 as shown in Figure 1 .

[0097] Referring to Figure 6 , the device 600 may include at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium 602, at least one receiving circuit system 604, at least one transmitting circuit system 606, and at least one processor 608. In some embodiments of the present application, the at least one receiving circuit system 604 and the at least one transmitting circuit system 606 are integrated into at least one transceiver. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium 602 may have computer-executable instructions stored therein. The at least one processor 608 may be coupled to the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium 602, the at least one receiving circuit system 604, and the at least one transmitting circuit system 606. The computer-executable instructions may be programmed to implement a method using the at least one receiving circuit system 604, the at least one transmitting circuit system 606, and the at least one processor 608. The method may be a method according to an embodiment of the present application, for example, the method shown in Figure 4 .

[0098] Figure 7 A simplified block diagram of a device 700 for fast MCG link recovery according to some embodiments of the present application is illustrated. The device 700 may be a UE 101 as shown in Figure 1 .

[0099] Referring to Figure 7, device 700 may include at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium 702, at least one receiving circuit system 704, at least one transmitting circuit system 706, and at least one processor 708. In some embodiments of the present application, at least one receiving circuit system 704 and at least one transmitting circuit system 706 are integrated into at least one transceiver. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium 702 may have computer-executable instructions stored therein. At least one processor 708 may be coupled to at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium 702, at least one receiving circuit system 704, and at least one transmitting circuit system 706. The computer-executable instructions may be programmed to implement a method using at least one receiving circuit system 704, at least one transmitting circuit system 706, and at least one processor 708. The method may be a method according to an embodiment of the present application, for example, Figure 5 the method shown in

[0100] A method according to an embodiment of the present application may also be implemented on a programmed processor. However, the controller, flowchart, and modules may also be implemented on a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, a programmed microprocessor or microcontroller, and peripheral integrated circuit elements, an integrated circuit, a hardware electronic or logic circuit (such as a discrete element circuit), a programmable logic device, etc. Generally, any device on which a finite state machine capable of implementing the flowchart shown in the figure resides may be used to implement the processor functions of the present application. For example, an embodiment of the present application provides a device for recognizing emotion from speech, including a processor and a memory. Computer-programmable instructions for implementing the method of recognizing emotion from speech are stored in the memory, and the processor is configured to execute the computer-programmable instructions to implement the method of recognizing emotion from speech. The method may be the method as described above or other methods according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0101] Alternative embodiments preferably implement the method according to an embodiment of the present application in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-programmable instructions. The instructions are preferably executed by a computer-executable component preferably integrated with a network security system. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be stored on any suitable computer-readable medium, such as RAM, ROM, flash memory, EEPROM, an optical storage device (CD or DVD), a hard disk drive, a floppy disk drive, or any suitable device. The computer-executable component is preferably a processor, but the instructions may alternatively or additionally be executed by any suitable dedicated hardware device. For example, an embodiment of the present application provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-programmable instructions stored therein. The computer-programmable instructions are configured to implement the method of recognizing emotion from speech as described above or other methods according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0102] Although the present application has been described in terms of its specific embodiments, it will be apparent that many alternatives, modifications, and variations are obvious to those skilled in the art. For example, the various components of the embodiments can be interchanged, added, or replaced in other embodiments. In addition, all elements of each figure are not necessary for the operation of the disclosed embodiments. For example, one of ordinary skill in the art of the disclosed embodiments will be able to make and use the teachings of the present application by simply employing the elements of the independent claims. Accordingly, the embodiments of the application described herein are intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Various changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A method, comprising: Receiving fast master cell group (MCG) link recovery configuration information; Receiving conditional handover (CHO) configuration information indicating a set of CHO configurations and a set of execution conditions for a set of cells, each cell being associated with a CHO configuration and an execution condition; Evaluating the set of execution conditions based on the CHO configuration information; In response to a radio link failure in the MCG, initiating a fast MCG link recovery process and starting a timer associated with the fast MCG link recovery process; and Stopping evaluating the set of execution conditions after initiating the fast MCG link recovery process.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Not performing a CHO process during the fast MCG link recovery process.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Not performing a CHO process when the timer associated with the fast MCG link recovery process is running.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: If the execution conditions are met and the timer associated with the fast MCG link recovery process is not running, performing a CHO process.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: If the execution conditions are met and the timer associated with the fast MCG link recovery process is not running, applying the CHO configuration.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: In response to a radio link failure in the MCG, initiating a fast MCG link recovery process and starting a timer associated with the fast MCG link recovery process; And If the execution conditions are met while the timer is running, performing a CHO process.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising: In response to performing the CHO process, if the timer associated with the fast MCG link recovery process is running, stopping the timer associated with the fast MCG link recovery process.

8. An apparatus, comprising: Receiving circuitry; Transmitting circuitry; And A processor coupled to the receiving circuitry and the transmitting circuitry and configured to: Receive fast master cell group (MCG) link recovery configuration information; Receive conditional handover (CHO) configuration information indicating a set of CHO configurations and a set of execution conditions for a set of cells, each cell being associated with a CHO configuration and an execution condition; Evaluating the set of execution conditions based on the CHO configuration information; In response to a radio link failure in the MCG, initiating a fast MCG link recovery process and starting a timer associated with the fast MCG link recovery process; and Stopping evaluating the set of execution conditions after initiating the fast MCG link recovery process.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the processor coupled to the receiving circuitry and the transmitting circuitry is configured to: not perform a CHO process during the fast MCG link recovery process.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the processor coupled to the receiving circuitry and the transmitting circuitry is configured to: not perform the CHO process while the timer associated with the fast MCG link recovery process is running.

11. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the processor coupled to the receiving circuitry and the transmitting circuitry is configured to: perform the CHO process if the execution condition is met and the timer associated with the fast MCG link recovery process is not running.

12. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the processor coupled to the receiving circuitry and the transmitting circuitry is configured to: apply the CHO configuration if the execution condition is met and the timer associated with the fast MCG link recovery process is not running.

13. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the processor coupled to the receiving circuitry and the transmitting circuitry is configured to: in response to a radio link failure in the MCG: initiate a fast MCG link recovery process and start a timer associated with the fast MCG link recovery process; and perform the CHO process if the execution condition is met while the timer is running.

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