Mechanism for Radio Link Failure (RLF) reporting to the network

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a mechanism for radio link failure (RLF) reporting to the network. When a user equipment (UE) encounters a radio link failure condition, the UE may transmit a radio link failure report to the network. The report may include information defining the radio link monitoring (RLM) resources of the current RLM configuration. The information may take the form of a resource bitmap or a list of resource identifiers / indexes. The network may use this information (and radio resource management measurements) to determine whether the radio link failure occurred due to an incorrect configuration of the RLM resources for the UE. In the event that the network does not provide an RLM configuration, the UE may omit the bitmap (or list), fill the bitmap with all zeros, or fill the bitmap (or list) according to the currently active transmission configuration indication (TCI) state indicated by the downlink control information (DCI).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of wireless communications, and more particularly to a mechanism for reporting radio link failure from a User Equipment (UE) device to a wireless communication network. Background Art

[0002] A network (e.g., a base station of the network) may use spatially focused beams to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from user equipment (UE) devices, particularly when operating at high frequencies. Different beams may be used to communicate with different UE devices (or different groups of UE devices); and different beams may be used to communicate with UE devices at different times. A base station of the network may be equipped with one or more antenna arrays (e.g., at one or more transmit / receive points) to facilitate beam formation. Similarly, a UE device may be equipped with one or more antenna arrays to enable the UE device to generate transmit and / or receive beams.

[0003] The network can configure the UE device to independently perform radio resource management (RRM) and radio link monitoring (RLM) procedures. When in a connected state, the UE device can perform RRM procedures according to the RRM configuration and independently perform RLM procedures according to the RLM configuration. Each configuration (RRM and RLM) has an associated reference signal resource set. However, the resources configured for RRM and the resources configured for RLM can be indicated to the UE device based on independent sets of resource indices (or identifiers). Therefore, it may be difficult for the UE device to determine whether the resources (or physical resource elements) configured for RRM belong to the RLM configuration.

[0004] A base station of a wireless network may include reference signals (such as SSBs or CSI-RSs) in its downlink transmissions, enabling UE devices to measure the quality of the radio link between the base station and the UE device. (SSBs are an acronym for Synchronization Signal / PBCH Block. PBCH is an acronym for Physical Broadcast Channel. CSI-RS stands for Channel State Information - Reference Signal.) The base station may (or may not) configure the UE device with a radio link monitoring (RLM) configuration. Different UE devices may be configured with different RLM configurations. (Each RLM configuration may be associated with a corresponding set of one or more beams.) The RLM configuration may include (or specify) a corresponding set of resources that the UE device will use to monitor the radio link.

[0005] When a UE device experiences a radio link failure on a first cell, it can connect to a second cell and report the failure to the network via the second cell. The radio link failure report may include measurements from the RRM process. In addition, it may be necessary to report which resources configured by RRM belong to the RLM configuration. However, it may be difficult for the UE device to determine which resources configured by RRM belong to the RLM configuration. The conversion process is complex.

[0006] In the current RLF report, the UE may need to compare whether the physical resource elements associated with each resource ID in the RRM configuration are also included in the configuration of the RLM resources. Summary of the Invention

[0007] From a configuration perspective, it is very convenient to specify the RRM configuration based on a resource ID set, and to indicate the RLM configuration based on a separate resource ID set. For example, resource ID = 1 in the RRM configuration may refer to a group of physical resource elements with a period of 10 milliseconds. (This numerical example is given for illustrative purposes, and the specific values ​​mentioned are not meant to limit the scope of the present invention.) However, some physical resource elements of the group may belong to the RLM configuration, while other physical resource elements of the group do not belong to the RLM configuration. More generally, it may be difficult for the UE to determine which physical resource elements of the RRM configuration belong to the RLM configuration.

[0008] Furthermore, a gNB can use the same physical resource elements for two purposes. For example, one transmit-receive point (TRP) of a gNB can use physical resource elements with a first transmit power value for RRM, while another TRP of the gNB uses physical resource elements with a different transmit power value for RLM. Therefore, avoiding the aforementioned comparison at the UE device may be advantageous.

[0009] In some embodiments, the UE device may transmit a radio link failure report to the network (e.g., to a base station of the network) indicating a radio link failure between the base station and the UE device. (The network may use the radio link failure report to improve or optimize network deployment.) The report may include a bitmap of resources indicating an RLM configuration (e.g., the RLM configuration currently active in the UE device). (The network may have previously configured the UE device with an RLM configuration.) The length of the bitmap may be equal to the number of possible radio link monitoring resources (which is greater than the number of RRM resources allocated to the UE). The bitmap enables the network to identify the UE's RLM configuration, for example, if it has discarded the UE's context.

[0010] In an alternative embodiment, the report may include a list of identifiers or indices of RLM resources that specify the RLM configuration of the UE device, such as a list of CSI-RS IDs or a list of SSB indices.

[0011] In some embodiments, the UE device may operate in a context where the network has not (or has not) provided the UE device with an RLM configuration. In this case, the UE device may transmit a radio link failure report including a bitmap, the elements of which correspond to possible RLM resources. The bitmap may be filled with zeros, for example, to indicate that the UE has no RLM configuration. Alternatively, the bitmap may be filled according to the active TCI state. (TCI is an acronym for transmission configuration indication.) The active TCI state is determined by downlink control information (DCI) transmitted to the UE device in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). In other embodiments in the above context, the UE device may transmit a radio link failure report that does not include any RLM-related bitmap. In some other embodiments in the above context, the UE device may transmit a list of identifiers or indices, wherein the list specifies RLM resources associated with the active TCI state, which is signaled to the UE device via downlink control information. In further embodiments in the above context, the UE device may transmit a radio link failure report that does not include any RLM-related resource list or data structure.

[0012] In some embodiments, a UE device may be dynamically signaled about a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state via downlink control information (DCI) in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). The TCI state may include a configuration of a QCL-relationship between one or more downlink reference signals and one or more DMRS ports of a PDSCH. (QCL is an acronym for Quasi Co-location. PDSCH is an acronym for Physical Downlink Shared Channel. DMRS is an acronym for Demodulation Reference Signal.) Thus, channel properties inferred from the reference signal may be used to decode data, such as data from a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH). The UE may be configured with multiple TCI state configurations, for example using RRC signaling. One of the TCI state configurations may be designated as the active configuration, for example, via DCI signaling.

[0013] The radio link failure report may include information indicating RRM resources according to the active TCI state of the UE device when the radio link failure occurs in the last serving cell (eg, the active TCI state of the UE device).

[0014] In some embodiments, the non-transitory memory medium may store program instructions. When executed by a processing circuit, the program instructions may cause the processing circuit to perform any of the above method embodiments.

[0015] In some embodiments, a user equipment (UE) device may include a radio subsystem; a processing circuit coupled to the radio subsystem; and a memory storing program instructions. When executed by the processing circuit, the program instructions may cause the UE device to perform any of the above method embodiments.

[0016] In some embodiments, the non-transitory memory medium may store program instructions. When executed by a processing circuit, the program instructions may cause the processing circuit to perform any of the above method embodiments.

[0017] In some embodiments, a base station may include a radio subsystem; a processing circuit coupled to the radio subsystem; and a memory storing program instructions. The program instructions, when executed by the processing circuit, may cause the base station to perform any of the above-described method embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] A better understanding of the present subject matter may be obtained when the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments is considered in conjunction with the following drawings.

[0019] Figures 1 to 2 An example of a wireless communication system according to some embodiments is shown.

[0020] Figure 3 An example of a base station in communication with a user equipment device is shown according to some embodiments.

[0021] Figure 4 An exemplary block diagram of a user equipment device is shown according to some embodiments.

[0022] Figure 5 An exemplary block diagram of a base station according to some embodiments is shown.

[0023] Figure 6 An exemplary user equipment 600 is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0024] Figure 7 An example of a base station 700 according to some embodiments is shown. The base station 700 may be used to communicate with Figure 6 The user equipment 600 communicates with the user equipment 600.

[0025] Figure 8 An example of a process for reporting a radio link failure (RLF) to a network for a UE device according to some embodiments is shown.

[0026] Figure 9 An example of a radio link monitoring (RLM) configuration that may be used by a user equipment device according to some embodiments is shown.

[0027] Figure 10An example of radio link failure reporting is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0028] Figure 11 A method according to some embodiments is shown, namely a method for operating a user equipment (UE) device, including the operation of transmitting a report to a network, the report indicating a radio link failure.

[0029] Figure 12 A method according to some embodiments is shown, namely a method for operating a network node, comprising an operation of receiving a report from a user equipment (UE) device, wherein the report indicates a radio link failure and includes information specifying a reference signal resource set associated with a radio link monitoring configuration of the UE device.

[0030] Figure 13 Methods according to some embodiments are shown for operating a user equipment (UE) device in a situation where its network has not (or has not yet) provided a radio link monitoring configuration to the UE device. In this situation, the UE device may transmit a report to the network indicating a radio link failure.

[0031] Figure 14 A method according to some embodiments is shown, namely a method for operating a network node in a case where a network of a user equipment (UE) device does not provide a radio link monitoring configuration to the UE device. In this case, the UE device can receive a report from the UE device, wherein the report indicates a radio link failure.

[0032] While the features described herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. However, it should be understood that the drawings and detailed description thereof are not intended to limit this disclosure to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] Acronyms

[0034] The following acronyms are used in this disclosure:

[0035] 3GPP: Third Generation Partnership Project

[0036] 3GPP2: Third Generation Partnership Project 2

[0037] 5G NR: Fifth Generation New Radio

[0038] BW: Bandwidth

[0039] BWP: Bandwidth Part

[0040] CSI: Channel State Information

[0041] CSI-RS: CSI Reference Signal

[0042] DCI: Downlink Control Information

[0043] DL: Downlink

[0044] eNB (or eNodeB): Evolved Node B, i.e., the base station of 3GPP LTE

[0045] gNB (or gNodeB): Next-generation Node B, i.e., the base station of 5G NR

[0046] GSM: Global System for Mobile Communications

[0047] HARQ: Hybrid ARQ

[0048] LTE: Long Term Evolution

[0049] LTE-A: LTE Advanced

[0050] MAC: Media Access Control

[0051] MAC-CE: MAC Control Element

[0052] NR: New Radio

[0053] NR-DC: NR Dual Connectivity

[0054] NW: Network

[0055] PBCH: Physical Broadcast Channel

[0056] PDCCH: Physical Downlink Control Channel

[0057] PDSCH: Physical Downlink Shared Channel

[0058] RAT: Radio Access Technology

[0059] RLM: Radio Link Monitoring

[0060] RNTI: Radio Network Temporary Identifier

[0061] RRC: Radio Resource Control

[0062] RRM: Radio Resource Management

[0063] RS: Reference signal

[0064] SR: Scheduling Request

[0065] SSB: Synchronization Signal / PBCH Block

[0066] TCI: Transmission Configuration Indicator

[0067] UE: User Equipment

[0068] UL: Uplink

[0069] UMTS: Universal Mobile Telecommunications System

[0070] the term

[0071] The following is a glossary of terms used in this disclosure:

[0072] Memory Medium—Any of various types of memory devices or storage devices. The term "memory medium" is intended to include installation media, such as CD-ROMs, floppy disks, or tape devices; computer system memory or random access memory, such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; non-volatile memory, such as flash memory, magnetic media, such as hard drives or optical storage devices; registers, or other similar types of memory elements, etc. Memory media may also include other types of memory, or a combination thereof. Furthermore, a memory medium may be located in a first computer system executing a program, or in a second, different computer system connected to the first computer system via a network, such as the Internet. In the latter case, the second computer system may provide program instructions to the first computer system for execution. The term "memory medium" may include two or more memory media that may reside in different locations, such as in different computer systems connected via a network. A memory medium may store program instructions (e.g., represented as a computer program) that may be executed by one or more processors.

[0073] Carrier Medium—storage media as described above and physical transmission media such as a bus, network, and / or other physical transmission media that carry signals such as electrical, electromagnetic, or digital signals.

[0074] Programmable hardware elements—include various hardware devices that include multiple programmable function blocks connected via programmable interconnects. Examples include FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays), PLDs (programmable logic devices), FPOAs (field programmable object arrays), and CPLDs (complex PLDs). Programmable function blocks can range from fine-grained (combinational logic units or lookup tables) to coarse-grained (arithmetic logic units or processor cores). Programmable hardware elements may also be referred to as "configurable logic units."

[0075] Computer System—Any of various types of computing or processing systems, including personal computer systems (PCs), mainframe computer systems, workstations, network appliances, Internet appliances, personal digital assistants (PDAs), personal communication devices, smartphones, television systems, grid computing systems, or other devices or combinations of devices. In general, the term "computer system" can be broadly defined to encompass any device (or combination of devices) having at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.

[0076] User Equipment (UE) (or "UE device") - any device in various types of computer system equipment that is mobile or portable and performs wireless communication. Examples of UE devices include mobile phones or smart phones (e.g., iPhone TM , based on Android TM phones), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS TM PlayStation Portable TM 、Gameboy Advance TM , iPhone TM ), wearable devices (e.g., smart watches, smart glasses), laptops, PDAs, portable network devices, music players, data storage devices, or other handheld devices, etc. In general, the term "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined to include any electronic, computing, and / or telecommunication device (or combination of devices) that is easily transportable by a user and capable of wireless communication.

[0077] Base Station—The term “base station” has the full breadth of its ordinary meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station that is installed at a fixed location and used to communicate as part of a wireless telephone system or radio system.

[0078] Processing Element—refers to any of various elements or combinations of elements. Processing elements include, for example, circuits such as ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), portions or circuits of individual processor cores, entire processor cores, individual processors, programmable hardware devices such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and / or larger portions of systems including multiple processors.

[0079] Automatic—refers to an action or operation being performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by the computer system) or a device (e.g., a circuit, a programmable hardware element, an ASIC, etc.) without requiring user input to directly specify or execute the action or operation. Thus, the term "automatic" is in contrast to manual execution or specification of an action by a user, where the user provides input to directly perform the action. An automatic process may be initiated by user-provided input, but subsequent actions performed "automatically" are not specified by the user, i.e., they are not performed "manually," where the user specifies each action to be performed. For example, a user filling out an electronic form by selecting each field and providing input specifying information (e.g., by typing information, selecting checkboxes, radio selections, etc.) is manually filling out the form, even though the computer system must update the form in response to the user's actions. The form can be automatically filled out by a computer system, where the computer system (e.g., software executing on the computer system) analyzes the fields of the form and fills it out without requiring any user input to specify the answers to the fields. As indicated above, a user can invoke automatic filling of a form without participating in the actual filling out of the form (e.g., the user does not manually specify the answers to the fields; they are automatically completed). This specification provides various examples of operations that are automatically performed in response to actions that a user has taken.

[0080] Figures 1 to 3 -Communication system

[0081] Figure 1 and Figure 2 An exemplary (and simplified) wireless communication system is shown. Note that Figure 1 and Figure 2 The systems are merely examples of some possible systems, and various embodiments may be implemented in any of a variety of ways as desired.

[0082] Figure 1 The wireless communication system of FIG. 1 includes a base station 102A that communicates with one or more user equipment (UE) devices 106A, 106B, etc., to 106N via a transmission medium. Each of the user equipment devices may be referred to herein as a "user equipment" (UE). Figure 2 In the wireless communication system, in addition to base station 102A, base station 102B also communicates (eg, simultaneously or concurrently) with UE devices 106A, 106B, etc., through 106N via a transmission medium.

[0083] Base stations 102A and 102B may be base transceiver stations (BTSs) or cell sites, and may include hardware that enables wireless communications with user devices 106A through 106N. Each base station 102 may also be equipped to communicate with a core network 100 (e.g., base station 102A may be coupled to core network 100A, while base station 102B may be coupled to core network 100B), which may be a core network of a cellular service provider. Each core network 100 may also be coupled to one or more external networks (such as external network 108), which may include the Internet, a public switched telephone network (PSTN), or any other network. Thus, base station 102A may facilitate communications between user devices and / or between user devices and network 100A; in Figure 2 In a system, base station 102B may facilitate communications between user devices and / or between user devices and network 100B.

[0084] The base stations 102A and 102B and the user equipment may be configured to communicate over a transmission medium using any one of a variety of radio access technologies (RATs), also known as wireless communication technologies or telecommunication standards, such as GSM, UMTS (WCDMA), LTE, Advanced LTE (LTE-A), 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), Wi-Fi, WiMAX, and the like.

[0085] For example, base station 102A and core network 100A may operate according to a first cellular communication standard (e.g., LTE), while base station 102B and core network 100B may operate according to a second (e.g., different) cellular communication standard (e.g., GSM, UMTS, and / or one or more CDMA2000 cellular communication standards). The two networks may be controlled by the same network operator (e.g., a cellular service provider or "carrier") or different network operators. In addition, the two networks may operate independently of each other (e.g., if they operate according to different cellular communication standards), or may operate in a somewhat coupled or tightly coupled manner.

[0086] Also note that, although Figure 2The illustrated network configuration shows the use of two different networks to support two different cellular communication technologies, but other network configurations that implement multiple cellular communication technologies are also possible. As an example, base stations 102A and 102B can operate according to different cellular communication standards but be coupled to the same core network. As another example, a multi-mode base station capable of simultaneously supporting different cellular communication technologies (e.g., LTE and CDMA 1xRTT, GSM and UMTS, or any other combination of cellular communication technologies) can be coupled to a core network that also supports different cellular communication technologies. Any other various network deployment scenarios are also possible.

[0087] As another possibility, base station 102A and base station 102B may operate according to the same wireless communication technology (or a set of overlapping wireless communication technologies). For example, base station 102A and core network 100A may be operated by one cellular service provider independently from base station 102B and core network 100B, which may be operated by different (e.g., competing) cellular service providers. Thus, in this case, despite using similar and possibly compatible cellular communication technologies, UE devices 106A-106N may independently communicate with base stations 102A-102B, possibly by utilizing separate subscriber identities to communicate with different operator networks.

[0088] UE 106 is capable of communicating using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, UE 106 can be configured to communicate using either or both of a 3GPP cellular communication standard (such as LTE) and / or a 3GPP2 cellular communication standard (such as a cellular communication standard in the CDMA2000 family of cellular communication standards). As another example, UE 106 can be configured to communicate using two or more different 3GPP cellular communication standards (such as GSM, UMTS, LTE, or LTE-A). Thus, as described above, UE 106 can be configured to communicate with base station 102A (and / or other base stations) according to a first cellular communication standard (e.g., LTE) and can also be configured to communicate with base station 102B (and / or other base stations) according to a second cellular communication standard (e.g., one or more CDMA2000 cellular communication standards, UMTS, GSM, etc.).

[0089] Base stations 102A and 102B and other base stations operating according to the same or different cellular communication standards may thus be provided as one or more cell networks that may provide continuous or nearly continuous overlapping service to UEs 106A-106N and similar devices over a wide geographic area via one or more cellular communication standards.

[0090] The UE 106 may also or alternatively be configured to communicate using WLAN, Bluetooth, one or more global navigation satellite systems (GNSS, such as GPS or GLONASS), one and / or more mobile television broadcast standards (e.g., ATSC-M / H or DVB-H), etc. Other combinations of wireless communication standards, including more than two wireless communication standards, are also possible.

[0091] Figure 3 A user equipment 106 (e.g., one of devices 106A through 106N) is shown in communication with a base station 102 (e.g., one of base stations 102A or 102B). UE 106 may be a device with wireless network connectivity, such as a mobile phone, a handheld device, a computer or tablet, a wearable device, or substantially any type of wireless device.

[0092] The UE may include a processor configured to execute program instructions stored in a memory. The UE may perform any of the method embodiments described herein by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively or in addition, the UE may include a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array) configured to perform any of the method embodiments described herein, or any portion of any of the method embodiments described herein.

[0093] The UE 106 can be configured to communicate using any of a number of wireless communication protocols. For example, the UE 106 can be configured to communicate using two or more of GSM, UMTS (W-DCMA, TD-SCDMA, etc.), CDMA2000 (1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD, etc.), LTE, LTE-A, WLAN, or GNSS. Other combinations of wireless communication standards are also possible.

[0094] The UE 106 may include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols. Within the UE 106, one or more portions of the receive and / or transmit chains may be shared across multiple wireless communication standards; for example, the UE 106 may be configured to communicate using a single shared radio using one (or both) of GSM or LTE. The shared radio may include a single antenna, or may include multiple antennas for performing wireless communication (e.g., for MIMO or beamforming). MIMO is an acronym for Multiple Input Multiple Output.

[0095] Figure 4 -Exemplary block diagram of UE

[0096] Figure 4An exemplary block diagram of a UE 106 is shown. As shown, the UE 106 may include a system on a chip (SOC) 300, which may include components for various purposes. For example, as shown, the SOC 300 may include a processor 302 that may execute program instructions for the UE 106 and a display circuit 304 that may perform graphics processing and provide display signals to a display 345. The processor 302 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 340 and / or other circuits or devices (such as the display circuit 304, the radio component 330, the connector I / F 320, and / or the display 345). The MMU 340 may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 302 and convert those addresses to locations in a memory (e.g., the memory 306, the read-only memory (ROM) 350, the NAND flash memory 310). The MMU 340 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some embodiments, the MMU 340 may be included as part of the processor 302.

[0097] As shown, SOC 300 may be coupled to various other circuits of UE 106. For example, UE 106 may include various types of memory (e.g., including flash memory 310), a connector interface 320 (e.g., for coupling to a computer system, a docking station, a charging station, etc.), a display 345, and a radio 330.

[0098] The radio component 330 may include one or more RF chains. Each RF chain may include a transmit chain, a receive chain, or both. For example, the radio component 330 may include two RF chains to support dual connectivity with two base stations (or two cells). The radio component may be configured to support wireless communications according to one or more wireless communication standards (e.g., one or more of GSM, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A, WCDMA, CDMA2000, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, etc.).

[0099] Radio section 330 is coupled to an antenna subsystem 335, which includes one or more antennas. For example, antenna subsystem 335 may include multiple antennas to support applications such as dual connectivity, MIMO, or beamforming. Antenna subsystem 335 transmits and receives radio signals to and from one or more base stations or devices via a radio propagation medium (typically the atmosphere).

[0100] In some embodiments, the processor 302 may include a baseband processor to generate uplink baseband signals and / or process downlink baseband signals. The processor 302 may be configured to perform data processing according to one or more wireless communication standards (e.g., one or more of GSM, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A, WCDMA, CDMA2000, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, etc.).

[0101] The UE 106 may also include one or more user interface elements. The user interface elements may include various elements such as a display 345 (which may be a touch screen display), a keyboard (which may be a separate keyboard or may be implemented as part of the touch screen display), a mouse, a microphone and / or a speaker, one or more cameras, one or more sensors, one or more buttons, sliders and / or dials, and / or any of various other elements capable of providing information to a user and / or receiving or interpreting user input.

[0102] As shown, UE 106 may also include one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs) 360. Each of the one or more SIMs may be implemented as an embedded SIM (eSIM), in which case the SIM may be implemented in device hardware and / or software. For example, in some embodiments, UE 106 may include an embedded UICC (eUICC), e.g., a device that is built into UE 106 and non-removable. The eUICC may be programmable, such that one or more eSIMs may be implemented on the eUICC. In other embodiments, the eSIM may be installed in UE 106 software, e.g., as program instructions stored on a storage medium (such as memory 306 or Flash 310) that is executed on a processor (such as processor 302) in UE 106. As an example, SIM 360 may be an application executing on a universal integrated circuit card (UICC). Alternatively or in addition, one or more of SIMs 360 may be implemented as a removable SIM card.

[0103] The processor 302 of the UE device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). In other embodiments, the processor 302 may be configured as or include: a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array); or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit); or a combination thereof.

[0104] Figure 5 - Base station example

[0105] Figure 5 1 shows a block diagram of a base station 102. Note that Figure 5 The base station of is only one example of a possible base station. As shown, the base station 102 may include a processor 404 that may execute program instructions for the base station 102. The processor 404 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 440 or other circuit or device that may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 404 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 460 and read-only memory (ROM) 450).

[0106] The base station 102 may include at least one network port 470. The network port 470 may be configured to couple to a telephone network and provide (to a plurality of devices such as the UE device 106) services such as those described above in Figure 1 and Figure 2 Access to the telephone network as described in.

[0107] The network port 470 (or an additional network port) may also or alternatively be configured to couple to a cellular network, such as a core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility-related services and / or other services to multiple devices, such as the UE device 106. In some cases, the network port 470 may couple to a telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide a telephone network (e.g., in other UE devices served by the cellular service provider).

[0108] Base station 102 may include a radio 430 having one or more RF chains. Each RF chain may include a transmit chain, a receive chain, or both. (For example, base station 102 may include at least one RF chain per sector or cell.) Radio 430 is coupled to an antenna subsystem 434, which may include one or more antennas. For example, multiple antennas may be required to support applications such as MIMO or beamforming. Antenna subsystem 434 transmits and receives radio signals to and from UEs via a radio propagation medium (typically the atmosphere).

[0109] In some embodiments, the processor 404 may include a baseband processor to generate downlink baseband signals and / or process uplink baseband signals. The baseband processor 430 may be configured to operate according to one or more wireless telecommunications standards, including but not limited to GSM, LTE, 5G New Radio, WCDMA, CDMA2000, etc.

[0110] The processor 404 of the base station 102 can be configured to implement any of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). In some embodiments, the processor 404 may include: a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array); or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit); or a combination thereof.

[0111] In some embodiments, the wireless user equipment (UE) device 600 may be configured as Figure 6 UE device 600 may include: a radio subsystem 605 for performing wireless communications; and a processing element 610 operatively coupled to the radio subsystem. (UE device 600 may also include any subset of the UE features described above, for example, in combination with Figures 1 to 4 ).

[0112] The radio subsystem 605 may include one or more RF chains, for example, as described above. Each RF chain may be configured to receive signals from a radio propagation channel and / or transmit these signals to a radio propagation channel. Thus, each RF chain may include a transmit chain and / or a receive chain. The radio subsystem 605 may be coupled to one or more antennas (or one or more antenna arrays) to facilitate signal transmission and reception. Each RF chain (or some RF chains) may be tuned to a desired frequency, thereby allowing the RF chain to receive or transmit at different frequencies at different times.

[0113] Processing element 610 may be coupled to the radio subsystem and may be configured as described above. (For example, the processing element may be implemented by processor 302.) The processing element may be configured to control the state of each RF chain in the radio subsystem. The processing element may be configured to perform any of the base station-based method embodiments described herein.

[0114] In some embodiments, the processing element may include one or more baseband processors to (a) generate baseband signals to be transmitted by the radio subsystem and / or (b) process baseband signals provided by the radio subsystem.

[0115] In a dual connectivity mode of operation, the processing element may instruct the first RF chain to communicate with the first base station using a first radio access technology, and instruct the second RF chain to communicate with the second base station using a second radio access technology. For example, the first RF chain may communicate with an LTE eNB, and the second RF chain may communicate with a 5G New Radio (NR) gNB. The link with the LTE eNB may be referred to as an LTE leg. The link with the gNB may be referred to as an NR leg. In some embodiments, the processing element may include a first subcircuit for implementing baseband processing for the LTE leg and a second subcircuit for implementing baseband processing for the NR leg.

[0116] Processing element 610 may be further configured as variously described in the following sections.

[0117] In some embodiments, a wireless base station 700 of a wireless network (not shown) may be configured as follows: Figure 7 The wireless base station may include: a radio subsystem 705 for performing wireless communication over a radio propagation channel; and a processing element 710 operatively coupled to the radio subsystem. (The wireless base station may also include any subset of the above-mentioned base station features, for example, the above-mentioned Figure 5 described features).

[0118] The radio subsystem 710 may include one or more RF chains. Each RF chain may be tuned to a desired frequency, thereby allowing the RF chain to receive or transmit at different frequencies at different times. The radio subsystem 710 may be coupled to an antenna subsystem, which may include one or more antennas, such as an antenna array or multiple antenna arrays. The radio subsystem may employ the antenna subsystem to transmit and receive radio signals to and from a radio wave propagation medium.

[0119] The processing element 710 may be implemented as described in various ways above. For example, in one embodiment, the processing element 710 may be implemented by the processor 404. In some embodiments, the processing element may include one or more baseband processors to: (a) generate baseband signals to be transmitted by the radio subsystem, and / or (b) process baseband signals provided by the radio subsystem.

[0120] Processing element 710 may be configured to perform any of the base station method implementations described herein.

[0121] Enhancements to Radio Link Failure (RLF) reporting

[0122] A user equipment (UE) may perform a radio link failure (RLF) report to help the network (NW) improve (or optimize) its network deployment. The RLF report may include information such as: the cell ID of the cell in which the UE encountered the radio link failure; RRM-related measurements on the cell; an indication of the cause of the radio link failure, etc. For example, a UE operating according to 3GPP 5G New Radio may use an RLF-Report message to report a radio link failure to the network (e.g., as defined in 3GGP TS38.331 version 16). The RLF-Report message includes a measResultLastServCell message, which provides measurement result information for the last serving cell of the UE. The measResultLastServCell message may be structured, for example, according to the MeasResultRLFNR-r16 structure as shown below:

[0123]

[0124]

[0125] Although the above structure relates to a specific set of fields with specific sizes and specific orderings, it should be understood that the principles of the present invention are not limited thereto. In fact, the present disclosure contemplates various possible combinations of fields, orderings of fields, and sizes of fields.

[0126] According to some embodiments, Figure 8 The procedure for reporting radio link failure to the network is shown in FIG.

[0127] At 810, the UE is in a connected state with a corresponding first gNB (referred to as gNB1).

[0128] At 815, the UE experiences a radio link failure (RLF) with gNB1; declares a radio link failure (RLF); and performs a cell selection procedure to select another cell. (It is possible that the cell selection procedure selects the same cell as before the radio link failure, for example, when the UE experienced and recovered from a coverage hole in the cell. Thus, in some cases, the UE's last serving cell and current cell may be the same.)

[0129] At 820, the UE establishes an RRC connection with a second gNB (referred to as gNB2) (e.g., the gNB determined during the cell selection process). For example, the UE may perform an RRC connection establishment procedure or an RRC re-establishment procedure. As part of the RRC connection establishment procedure, the UE may send a Complete message to gNB2 that includes an indication of "RLF availability" (i.e., the availability of information related to radio link failure).

[0130] In response to the RLF availability indication, gNB2 may send an information request (UE Information Request 825) to the UE requesting RLF related information.

[0131] In response to Information Request 825, the UE may send an Information Response message (UE Information Response 830) to gNB2. As described above, the Information Response message may be structured according to the MeasResultRLFNR-r16 structure.

[0132] In the current RLF report, the UE reports RRM measurements for each reference resource in the RRM configuration (e.g., each SSB resource or each CSI-RS resource). For each reference resource, the UE may also indicate whether the reference resource is configured for radio link monitoring (RLM) purposes. The RLF report allows the network (NW) to determine whether the radio link failure is due to actual channel quality degradation or due to incorrect configuration of RLM resources. For example, if the UE may have sufficiently high channel quality on beams 1 and 2, but declares a radio link failure because the network has configured inappropriate RLM resources for the UE (e.g., resources associated with beams 3 and 4).

[0133] There are many issues with current RLF reporting. As one issue, it is difficult for the UE to determine whether the resources from the RRM configuration (especially CSI-RS resources) and the resources from the RLM configuration are actually the same resources. Note that in a typical multi-TRP deployment, a base station (e.g., gNB) may use different transmit powers for different beams on the same physical resource elements. In addition, the current RLF reporting fails to provide the network with the complete RLM resource configuration. Furthermore, in the case where the network does not provide the RLM resource configuration to the UE, the current RLF reporting does not specify whether and how the UE handles the RLM configuration.

[0134] UE echo configured with RLM

[0135] In some embodiments, a user equipment (UE) may transmit (to the network) a radio link failure report that includes an indication of the currently active RLM configuration. In other words, the UE may "echo" the currently active RLM configuration to the network, for example, as part of the radio link failure report. (The term "echo" means that the network has previously configured the UE to use the RLM configuration.) The indication of the currently active RLM configuration may take the form of a bitmap. The bitmap may indicate the resources of the RLM configuration.

[0136] In some embodiments, the UE may report the currently active RLM configuration only for the active bandwidth part (BWP).

[0137] In some embodiments, the elements of the bitmap may correspond to corresponding RLM resources in the space of RLM resources (e.g., the space of CSI-RS resources or the space of SSB resources). Each element indicates whether the corresponding RLM resource is included in the currently active RLM configuration. The length of the bitmap may be equal to the number of RLM resources (e.g., CSI-RS resources or SSB resources), which is greater than the number of RLM resources allocated to the UE.

[0138] In some embodiments, the radio link monitoring (RLM) configuration may have Figure 9 However, it should be understood that a variety of other configurations are possible for the RLM configuration.

[0139] In some cases, the RLM configuration may be the configuration of CSI-RS resources. In other cases, the RLM configuration may be the configuration of SSB resources.

[0140] In some embodiments, radio link failure reporting may be implemented via a MeasResultRLFNR structure, e.g. Figure 10As shown. In the case where the RLM configuration is the configuration of the CSI-RS resources, the MeasResultRLFNR structure may include a field csi-rsRLMConfigBitmap as an implementation of the above-mentioned bitmap. The field csi-rsRLMConfigBitmap may have a length equal to the number of CSI-RS resources used for RLM, which is greater than the number of CSI-RS resources used for RRM. (For example, the field csi-rsRLMConfigBitmap may have a length of 192 bits. However, it should be noted that a variety of sizes are envisioned for the csi-rsRLMConfigBitmap.) Alternatively, the MeasResultRLFNR structure may include a field csi-rsRLMConfigBitmap and a field csi-rsRLMConfigBitmapExt, which together implement the above-mentioned bitmap, as shown Figure 10 Therefore, the sum of the lengths of csi-rsRLMConfigBitmap and csi-rsRLMConfigBitmapExt may be equal to the number of CSI-RS resources used for RLM.

[0141] Note that ASN.1 syntax is not considered here in order to provide a visual impression of the variations in ASN.1. (ASN.1 is an acronym for Abstract Syntax Notation One.)

[0142] In some implementations, the field csi-rsRLMConfigBitmap may be used to indicate the CSI-RS index configured with the RLM configuration for the active bandwidth part (BWP).

[0143] In case the RLM configuration is a configuration of SSB resources, the MeasResultRLFNR structure may include a field ssbRLMConfigBitmap as an implementation of a bitmap for radio link failure reporting. The bitmap may have a length equal to the number of SSB resources used for RLM.

[0144] In some implementations, the field ssbRLMConfigBitmap may be used to indicate the SS / PBCH block index configured with the RLM configuration for the active bandwidth part (BWP).

[0145] In one set of embodiments, a method 1100 for operating a user equipment (UE) device may include: Figure 11 (Method 1100 may also include the above combined Figures 1 to 10 The above and the following Figures 12 to 14Any subset of the features, elements, or operations described.) Method 1100 may be performed by a processing circuit of a UE device (eg, by processing element 610 of user equipment 600).

[0146] As shown at 1110, the processing element may transmit a report to the network indicating a radio link failure, e.g., a radio link failure between the UE and the last serving cell. (After experiencing the radio link failure on the last serving cell and establishing a connection with the current cell, a report may be transmitted to the current cell of the network, e.g., as described above in connection with Figure 8 As described. ) The report may include information specifying a reference signal resource set associated with a radio link monitoring (RLM) configuration of the UE device. The network may have previously established the RLM configuration as the active RLM configuration for the UE device, for example, by transmitting downlink signaling (such as an RRC reconfiguration message) to the UE device. (RRC is an acronym for Radio Resource Control.) However, at the time of report transmission, the network may have discarded the UE's context, for example, because the UE has not interacted with the network for a long time due to a radio link failure. (The network may utilize a timer to determine when a threshold has been exceeded since the last interaction with the UE device).

[0147] By including information specifying the reference signal resource set associated with the RLM configuration in the report, the UE device is relieved of the burden of determining whether each resource in the RRM configuration belongs to the RLM configuration.

[0148] In some embodiments, transmitting the report to the network may include transmitting the report to a base station of the network (e.g., to a gNB of a 3GPP 5G network or an eNB of a 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) network). The base station may be the final destination of the report. Alternatively, the base station may forward the report to another network node (e.g., the previous base station hosting the last serving cell or a node in the network core).

[0149] In some embodiments, the above information is a list of identifiers or indices of reference signal resources in a reference signal resource set associated with the RLM configuration, eg, as variously described in this disclosure.

[0150] In some embodiments, the information defining the RLM configuration includes a bitmap, wherein the elements of the bitmap correspond to RLM resources in a space of RLM resources. Each element of the bitmap may indicate whether the corresponding RLM resource in the space is included in a reference signal resource set of the RLM configuration. The bitmap may be configured, for example, as described above.

[0151] In some cases, the reference signal resource sets associated with the RLM configuration are channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resources. In other cases, the reference signal resource sets associated with the RLM configuration are synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB) resources.

[0152] In some embodiments, a report may be transmitted for the active bandwidth part (BWP) of a UE device, or only for the active BWP. (A UE device may have a set of configured BWPs, but at least in some embodiments, only one of the configured BWPs may be active at any given time.) The active BWP may be indicated to the UE, for example, via RRC signaling, MAC CE, or DCI from the network. (RRC is an acronym for Radio Resource Control. MAC CE stands for Medium Access Control - Control Element.) Switching of BWPs may also be controlled by a timer.

[0153] In some implementations, the network may use the reports to determine whether the radio link failure occurred due to misconfiguration of RLM resources for the UE device.

[0154] In some embodiments, the network may use the reports to determine whether the radio link failure occurred due to degradation of the quality of the channel between the UE device and the last serving base station (or cell or TRP) or due to an inappropriate selection of RLM configuration for the UE device.

[0155] In some embodiments, the network may use reported RRM measurement results (e.g., channel quality information as described above) to determine whether one or more beams from the available beam set have sufficient quality for use by the UE device. The network may select one or more beams of sufficient quality for use by the UE device and send a configuration message directing the UE device to use the one or more selected beams, for example, as part of a new RRM configuration for the UE device.

[0156] In some embodiments, the network may determine whether the one or more beams associated with the RLM configuration indicated by the report are suitable for the UE device. If not, the network may select a new set of one or more beams for the RLM configuration and send a message directing the UE device to use the new set of one or more beams, for example, as part of a new RLM configuration for the UE device.

[0157] In one set of embodiments, the method 1200 for operating a network node may include: Figure 12 (Method 1200 may also include the above combined Figures 1 to 11 The above and the following Figures 13 and 14Any subset of the features, elements, or operations described.) The method 1200 may be performed by a processor of a network node, for example, by executing program instructions stored in a memory medium of the network node.

[0158] As shown at 1210, the processor may receive a report from a user equipment (UE) device, wherein the report indicates a radio link failure. The report may include information specifying a reference signal resource set associated with a radio link monitoring configuration of the UE device. The RLM configuration may be a currently active RLM configuration of the UE device.

[0159] In some embodiments, the network node may be a base station of the network, for example, a gNB of a 3GPP 5G network or an eNB of a 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) network.

[0160] In some embodiments, the above information is a list of identifiers or indices of reference signal resources in a reference signal resource set associated with the RLM configuration, eg, as variously described in this disclosure.

[0161] In some embodiments, the above information may include a bitmap, wherein the elements of the bitmap correspond to RLM resources in the space of RLM resources. Each element of the bitmap may indicate whether the corresponding RLM resource in the space is included in the reference signal resource set configured for RLM. The bitmap may be configured, for example, as described above.

[0162] In some cases, the reference signal resource sets associated with the RLM configuration are channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resources. In other cases, the reference signal resource sets associated with the RLM configuration are synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB) resources.

[0163] In some embodiments, the report may be for the active bandwidth part (BWP) of the UE device.

[0164] In some embodiments, the processor of the network node may determine whether RLF has occurred due to misconfiguration of RLM resource configuration based on the above information (of operation 1110) and the RRM measurement result.

[0165] Solution when the network does not provide RLM configuration

[0166] In this section, a mechanism for reporting radio link monitoring (RLM) configuration when the network has not (or has not yet) provided RLM configuration to the UE device is disclosed. In this case, when the UE generates a radio link failure report, the UE can follow the active TCI state indicated to the UE device in the DCI. (DCI is an acronym for downlink control information. TCI is an acronym for transmission configuration indication.) The active TCI state is associated with a network-configured reference signal resource set (e.g., CSI-RS resources or SSB resources). (The active TCI state may indicate an active beam used for data transmission and / or reception by the UE.) If the network does not configure an RLM resource set for the UE, the UE may perform radio link monitoring and / or report radio link failure based on the active TCI state using the network-configured reference signal resource set of the active TCI state.

[0167] The radio link failure report may include a bitmap whose elements correspond to the corresponding reference signal resources in the space of RLM resources. However, the UE may populate the bitmap to specify the network-configured reference signal resource set for the active TCI state. The base station transmits DCI for the UE in the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) of the downlink signal.

[0168] In an alternative embodiment, the radio link failure report UE may not include any bitmaps associated with RLM resources. For example, the UE may not include any of the following bitmaps in the radio link failure report: ssbRLMConfigBitmap, csi-rsRLMConfigBitmap, and csi-rsRLMConfigBitmapExt.

[0169] In other alternative embodiments, the radio link failure report may include a bitmap whose elements correspond to corresponding reference signal resources in the space of RLM resources, but the UE may fill the bitmap with all zeros.

[0170] In some embodiments, the radio link failure report may include a field ssbRLMConfigBitmap. When RadioLinkMonitoringConfig is present in the UE, the field ssbRLMConfigBitmap may be used to indicate the SS / PBCH block index configured with the RLM configuration for the active BWP. (SS is the acronym for synchronization signal. PBCH is the acronym for physical broadcast channel. BWP is the acronym for bandwidth part.) However, when RadioLinkMonitoringConfig is not present in the UE, the UE may: omit the field ssbRLMConfigBitmap; or fill the field ssbRLMConfigBitmap with zeros; or fill the field ssbRLMConfigBitmap according to the active TCI-state, as indicated by the DCI.

[0171] In some embodiments, the radio link failure report may include a field csi-rsRLMConfigBitmap. When RadioLinkMonitoringConfig is present in the UE, the field csi-rsRLMConfigBitmap may be used to indicate the CSI-RS index configured with the RLM configuration for the active BWP. (CSI is an acronym for Channel State Information. RS is an acronym for Reference Signal.) However, when RadioLinkMonitoringConfig is not present in the UE, the UE may: omit the field csi-rsRLMConfigBitmap; fill the field csi-rsRLMConfigBitmap with zeros; or fill the field csi-rsRLMConfigBitmap according to the active TCI-state, as indicated by the DCI.

[0172] Figure 13 -Operating UE equipment without RLM configuration provided

[0173] In one set of embodiments, a method 1300 for operating a UE device in such a situation may include: Figure 13 (Method 1300 may also include the above combined Figures 1 to 12 The above and the following Figure 14 Any subset of the features, elements, or operations described.) Method 1300 may be performed by a processing circuit of a UE device (eg, by processing element 610 of user equipment 600).

[0174] As shown at 1310, in the event that the network of the UE device does not (or has not yet) provided the UE device with a radio link monitoring configuration, the processing circuit may transmit a report to the network (e.g., a base station of the network), wherein the report indicates a radio link failure.

[0175] In some embodiments, the report may include a bitmap, where elements of the bitmap correspond to respective RLM resources, e.g., reference signal resources in a space of RLM resources (e.g., a space of CSI-RS resources or a space of SSB resources).

[0176] In some embodiments, the bitmap may be filled entirely with zeros to indicate that the UE device has no network configured (eg, RRC configured) radio link monitoring resources.

[0177] In some embodiments, a bitmap may be populated based on the active transmission configuration indication (TCI) state indicated by downlink control information (DCI). Each element of the bitmap may indicate whether a corresponding RLM resource in the space of RLM resources is included in the set of reference signal resources (e.g., CSI-RS resources or SSB resources) configured by the network associated with the active TCI state. The active TCI state may indicate the active beam used for data transmission and / or reception. If the network does not configure explicit resources for radio link monitoring, the UE device may perform radio link failure reporting based on the active beam.

[0178] In some embodiments, the report does not include any resource bitmaps associated with radio link monitoring, eg, as described above.

[0179] In some embodiments, the report may include a list of identifiers or indices specifying reference signal resources associated with the active TCI state of the UE device.

[0180] In one set of embodiments, a method for operating a UE device may be performed as follows. The method may be performed by processing circuitry of the UE device (e.g., by processing element 610 of user equipment 600). In the event that the UE device does not have a radio link monitoring configuration, the processing circuitry may transmit a report to the network, wherein the report indicates a radio link failure. (The method may also include any subset of the above features, elements, or operations).

[0181] In one set of embodiments, a method 1400 for operating a network node may include: Figure 14 (Method 1400 may also include the above combined Figures 1 to 13 The method 1400 may be performed by a processor of a network node, for example, by executing program instructions stored in a memory medium of the network node.

[0182] As shown at 1410, the processor may receive a report from a user equipment (UE) device in the event that the UE device's network has not provided a radio link monitoring configuration to the UE device. The report may indicate a radio link failure.

[0183] In some embodiments, the report may include a bitmap, wherein the elements of the bitmap correspond to respective radio link monitoring resources, e.g., corresponding to respective RLM resources in the RLM resource space. The bitmap may be completely filled with zeros, e.g., to indicate that the UE device has no network-configured (e.g., RRC-configured) radio link monitoring resources. Alternatively, the bitmap may be filled based on the active transmission configuration indication (TCI) state, e.g., as described above. The active TCI state may be indicated in received downlink control information transmitted by the network to the UE device.

[0184] In some implementations, the report does not include any resource bitmaps associated with radio link monitoring.

[0185] In some embodiments, the processor may determine, based on the report, whether the radio link failure occurred due to an incorrect configuration of the RLM resources for the UE device. If so, the network may select an improved configuration of the RLM resources for the UE device and transmit a configuration message to configure the UE device with the improved RLM configuration.

[0186] In some embodiments, the report may include a list of identifiers or indices specifying reference signal resources associated with the active TCI state of the UE device.

[0187] In some embodiments, a radio link failure report transmitted by a UE device may include a list of RLM resources (which were previously configured by the network) rather than a bitmap. (As described above, a radio link failure report may be transmitted for an active BWP.) For example, a radio link failure report may include a list of identifiers of NZP CSI-RS resources, where the list specifies the active RLM configuration of the UE device. (NZP is an acronym for non-zero power.) In one embodiment, the list of NZP CSI-RS resource identifiers may have a structure given by:

[0188] failureDetectionResources-CSI-RS SEQUENCE(SIZE(1..maxNrofFailureDetectionResources))OF NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceId.

[0189] As another example, the radio link failure report may contain a list of SSB indices, where the list specifies the active RLM configuration of the UE device. In one embodiment, the list of SSB indices may have a structure given by:

[0190] failureDetectionResources-SSB SEQUENCE(SIZE(1..maxNrofFailureDetectionResources))OF SSB-Index.

[0191] In the event that the network does not provide the UE device with an RLM configuration, the UE device may omit the list of RLM resources or may populate the list with identifiers (or indices) to indicate the CSI-RS resources (or SSB resources) associated with the active TCI state. The active TCI state is indicated to the UE device in the downlink control information.

[0192] Additional embodiments are described in the following paragraphs.

[0193] In some embodiments, a method for operating a user equipment (UE) device may be performed as follows: The method includes transmitting a report to a network indicating a radio link failure, wherein the report includes information specifying a reference signal resource set associated with a radio link monitoring (RLM) configuration of the UE device.

[0194] In some implementations, the information is a list of identifiers or indices of centralized reference signal resources associated with the RLM configuration.

[0195] In some embodiments, the information includes a bitmap, wherein elements of the bitmap respectively correspond to RLM resources in the space of RLM resources, wherein each element of the bitmap indicates whether the corresponding RLM resource of the space is included in the reference signal resource set of the RLM configuration.

[0196] In some implementations, the set of reference signal resources associated with the RLM configuration are channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resources.

[0197] In some implementations, the set of reference signal resources associated with the RLM configuration are synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB) resources.

[0198] In some embodiments, reports are transmitted only for the active bandwidth portion (BWP).

[0199] In some implementations, the network may use the reports to determine whether the radio link failure occurred due to misconfiguration of RLM resources for the UE device.

[0200] In some embodiments, a method for operating a network node may be performed as follows: The method may include receiving a report from a user equipment (UE) device indicating a radio link failure, wherein the report includes information specifying a reference signal resource set associated with a radio link monitoring configuration of the UE device.

[0201] In some embodiments, the information is a list of identifiers or indices of centralized reference signal resources associated with the RLM configuration.

[0202] In some embodiments, the information includes a bitmap, wherein elements of the bitmap respectively correspond to RLM resources in the space of RLM resources, wherein each element of the bitmap indicates whether the corresponding RLM resource of the space is included in the reference signal resource set of the RLM configuration.

[0203] In some implementations, the set of reference signal resources associated with the RLM configuration are channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resources.

[0204] In some implementations, the set of reference signal resources associated with the RLM configuration are synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB) resources.

[0205] In some embodiments, the active bandwidth part (BWP) for the UE device is reported.

[0206] In some embodiments, the method further includes identifying a radio link configuration based on the report; and determining whether the radio link failure occurred due to an incorrect configuration of RLM resources for the UE device based on the report and the radio link configuration.

[0207] In some embodiments, a method for operating a user equipment (UE) device may be performed as follows: The method may include transmitting a report to a network indicating a radio link failure (RLF) if the network of the UE device does not provide a radio link monitoring configuration to the UE device.

[0208] In some embodiments, the report includes a bitmap, where elements of the bitmap correspond to respective RLM resources.

[0209] In some embodiments, the bitmap is filled entirely with zeros to indicate that the UE device has no network configured radio link monitoring resources.

[0210] In some embodiments, the bitmap is populated based on the active transmission configuration indication (TCI) state.

[0211] In some implementations, the report does not include any resource bitmaps associated with radio link monitoring.

[0212] In some embodiments, the transmission of the report is a transmission to a gNB of a 3GPP 5G New Radio network.

[0213] In some embodiments, a method for operating a network node may be performed as follows: The method may include receiving a report from a user equipment (UE) device where the UE device's network does not provide a radio link monitoring configuration to the UE device, wherein the report indicates a radio link failure.

[0214] In some embodiments, the report includes a bitmap, wherein elements of the bitmap correspond to respective radio link monitoring resources.

[0215] In some embodiments, the bitmap is filled entirely with zeros to indicate that the UE device has no network configured radio link monitoring resources.

[0216] In some embodiments, the bitmap is populated according to the active transmission configuration indication (TCI) state, as indicated in the received downlink control information.

[0217] In some implementations, the report does not include any resource bitmaps associated with radio link monitoring.

[0218] In some embodiments, the method further includes determining, based on the report, whether a radio link failure has occurred between the UE device and a base station of the network.

[0219] In some embodiments, the report includes a list of identifiers or indices specifying radio link monitoring resource sets associated with the active TCI state.

[0220] In some embodiments, the non-transitory memory medium may store program instructions. When executed by a processing circuit, the program instructions may cause the processing circuit to perform any of the above method embodiments and any combination of those embodiments. The memory medium may be incorporated as part of the base station.

[0221] The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in any of a variety of forms. For example, some embodiments may be implemented as computer-implemented methods, computer-readable storage media, or computer systems. Other embodiments may be implemented using one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as ASICs. Other embodiments may be implemented using one or more programmable hardware elements such as FPGAs.

[0222] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be configured such that it stores program instructions and / or data, wherein the program instructions, if executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform a method, such as any one of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or any subset of any method embodiments described herein, or any combination of such subsets.

[0223] In some embodiments, the computer system may be configured to include a processor (or a group of processors) and a memory medium, wherein the memory medium stores program instructions, wherein the processor is configured to read and execute the program instructions from the memory medium, wherein the executable program instructions are to implement any of the various method embodiments described herein (or any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or any subset of any method embodiments described herein, or any combination of such subsets). The computer system can be implemented in any of various forms. For example, the computer system can be a personal computer (in any of its various implementations), a workstation, a computer on a card, a dedicated computer in a box, a server computer, a client computer, a handheld device, a user equipment (UE) device, a tablet computer, a wearable computer, etc.

[0224] By interpreting each message / signal X received in the downlink by a user equipment (UE) communicating with a base station (or transmission-reception point) as a message / signal X transmitted by the base station (or transmission-reception point), and interpreting each message / signal Y transmitted in the uplink by the UE as a message / signal Y received by the base station (or transmission-reception point), any of the methods for operating a UE described herein can become the basis for the corresponding method for operating a base station (or transmission-reception point).

[0225] In some embodiments, the apparatus may include a processor (or a group of processors) configured to cause the UE or network node to implement any of the various method implementations described herein (or any combination of the method implementations described herein, or any subset of any of the method implementations described herein, or any combination of such subsets).

[0226] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0227] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to encompass all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising: RLM configuration operation according to radio link monitoring for active bandwidth part BWP; Determining a radio link failure RLF of a connection to a network; as well as Transmitting a report to the network in a UEInformationResponse message, the report comprising an RLF report, wherein the RLF report indicates CSI-RS indices of a plurality of channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) RLM configuration bitmaps associated with the RLM configuration, and wherein the plurality of CSI-RS RLM configuration bitmaps are associated with the RLM configuration of the active BWP.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of CSI-RS RLM configuration bitmaps comprises two CSI-RS RLM configuration bitmaps, wherein the RLF report comprises information specifying a reference signal resource set associated with the RLM configuration of a user equipment (UE) device, and wherein the RLF report comprises a list of identifiers or indices of reference signal resources in the reference signal resource set associated with the RLM configuration.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the information includes a bitmap, wherein the elements of the bitmap respectively correspond to RLM resources in a space of RLM resources, and wherein one or more elements of the bitmap indicate whether the corresponding RLM resources of the space are included in the reference signal resource set of the RLM configuration. 4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the reference signal resource set associated with the RLM configuration is CSI-RS resources.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the reference signal resource set associated with the RLM configuration is synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB) resources.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the network can use the report to determine whether the radio link failure occurs due to misconfiguration of RLM resources for a user equipment (UE) device.

7. A method for wireless communication, comprising: For the active bandwidth part BWP, transmitting the radio link monitoring RLM configuration to the user equipment UE device; and receiving a report from the UE device, the report in a UEInformationResponse message comprising a radio link failure (RLF) report, wherein the RLF report indicates a CSI-RS index of one or more channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) RLM configuration bitmaps associated with the RLM configuration, and wherein the one or more CSI-RS RLM configuration bitmaps indicate the RLM configuration for the active BWP.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the RLF report includes information specifying a reference signal resource set associated with the RLM configuration of the UE device, and wherein the RLF report includes a list of identifiers or indices of reference signal resources in the reference signal resource set associated with the RLM configuration.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the information comprises a bitmap, wherein the elements of the bitmap respectively correspond to RLM resources in a space of RLM resources, and wherein one or more elements of the bitmap indicate whether the corresponding RLM resources of the space are included in the reference signal resource set of the RLM configuration.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the reference signal resource set associated with the RLM configuration is CSI-RS resources.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the reference signal resource set associated with the RLM configuration is synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB) resources.

12. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: identifying the radio link configuration based on the report; as well as Based on the report and the radio link configuration, it is determined whether the radio link failure occurs due to an incorrect configuration of RLM resources for the UE device.

13. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: At least one processor, the at least one processor being configured to cause a user equipment (UE) to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-6.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the report is transmitted to a next generation Node B (gNB) of a 3GPP 5G New Radio (NR) network.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a radio operatively coupled to the at least one processor.

16. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: At least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the base station to perform the method according to any one of claims 7 to 12.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the base station is a next generation NodeB (gNB) of a 3GPP 5G New Radio (NR) network.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program instructions, the program instructions being executable by one or more processors of a base station to perform the method according to any one of claims 7 to 12.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the base station is a next-generation Node B (gNB) of a 3GPP 5G New Radio (NR) network.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program instructions, the program instructions being executable by one or more processors of a user equipment (UE) to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-6.

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