Beam information reporting for pucch secondary cell activation

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) is configured to report beam information for a secondary cell. The UE receives, from a network, a signal indicating that a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) secondary cell (SCell) activation procedure has been initiated, collects beam information corresponding to a target PUCCH SCell, reports the beam information to the network, determines that the target PUCCH SCell has been activated as a PUCCH SCell, and transmits uplink control information (UCI) to the PUCCH SCell over a PUCCH, wherein the UE is further configured with a different PUCCH corresponding to a primary cell (PCell).

Description

Background Technology

[0001] User equipment (UE) can be configured with a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) secondary cell (SCell). Once the SCell is activated, the UE can send uplink control information (UCI) to that SCell via PUCCH. To enable PUCCH SCell activation, the UE can report beam information to the network. However, for any of a variety of reasons, the UE may be unable to report beam information to the network. Summary of the Invention

[0002] Some exemplary embodiments relate to a processor of a user equipment (UE) configured to perform operations. The operations include: receiving a signal from the network indicating that a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) secondary cell (SCell) activation process has been initiated; collecting beam information corresponding to a target PUCCH SCell; reporting the beam information to the network; determining that the target PUCCH SCell has been activated as a PUCCH SCell; and transmitting uplink control information (UCI) to the PUCCH SCell via the PUCCH, wherein the UE is also configured with a different PUCCH corresponding to a primary cell (PCell).

[0003] Other exemplary embodiments relate to a processor of a user equipment (UE) configured to perform operations. The operations include: receiving a signal from a network indicating that a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) secondary cell (SCell) activation process has been initiated; receiving one or more Synchronization Signal Blocks (SSBs) from a cell; transmitting a Random Access Channel (RACH) preamble to the cell, wherein the RACH preamble is selected based on one or more SSBs; determining that the cell has been configured for a PUCCH SCell for the UE; and transmitting Uplink Control Information (UCI) to the cell via the PUCCH, wherein the UE is also configured with a different PUCCH corresponding to a primary cell (PCell).

[0004] Another exemplary embodiment relates to a processor of a base station configured to perform operations. The operations include: transmitting a signal to a user equipment (UE) indicating that a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) secondary cell (SCell) activation process has been initiated; and receiving beam information from the UE corresponding to a target PUCCH SCell.

[0005] Additional exemplary embodiments relate to a processor of a base station configured to perform operations. The operations include: transmitting a reference signal or synchronization signal block (SSB) received by a user equipment (UE) during a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) secondary cell (SCell) activation process; determining that the base station has been activated as a PUCCH SCell for the UE; and receiving uplink control information (UCI) from the UE via the PUCCH. Attached Figure Description

[0006] Figure 1 Exemplary network arrangements according to various exemplary implementations are shown.

[0007] Figure 2 Exemplary UEs according to various exemplary implementations are shown.

[0008] Figure 3 An exemplary base station according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0009] Figure 4 Methods for activating the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) secondary cell (SCell) according to various exemplary embodiments are shown.

[0010] Figure 5 Signaling diagrams are shown that utilize Layer 3 (L3) measurement reports to report beam information for PUCCHSCell activation according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0011] Figure 6 Signaling diagrams are shown that utilize Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) based reports to report beam information for PUCCH SCell activation, according to various exemplary implementations.

[0012] Figure 7 Signaling diagrams using contention-based random access (CBRA) during PUCCH SCell activation are shown according to various exemplary implementations.

[0013] Figure 8 Signaling diagrams for cross-PUCCH group reporting are shown according to various exemplary implementations.

[0014] Figure 9 Signaling diagrams for precondition-based PUCCH SCell activation according to various exemplary implementations are shown. Detailed Implementation

[0015] The exemplary embodiments can be further understood with reference to the following description and related figures, wherein similar elements have the same reference numerals. The exemplary embodiments relate to Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) secondary cell (SCell) activation.

[0016] The exemplary embodiments are described with respect to the UE. However, the reference to the term "UE" is provided for illustrative purposes only. The exemplary embodiments can be used with any electronic component that can establish a connection to a network and is configured with hardware, software, and / or firmware for exchanging information and data with the network. Therefore, the UE described herein is used to represent any electronic component.

[0017] PUCCH is an uplink channel that can carry uplink control information (UCI). The term UCI can encompass various types of control information. For example, UCI content may include, but is not limited to, mixed Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback (e.g., acknowledgment (ACK), negative acknowledgment (NACK), etc.), scheduling request (SR), channel state information (CSI), or combinations thereof. The term "PUCCHSCell" can refer to a SCell configured with PUCCHs. Therefore, a UE can be configured with multiple PUCCHs, each PUCCH corresponding to one or more cells in a different group. For example, a UE can transmit UCIs to the primary cell (PCell) on a first PUCCH and to a PUCCH SCell on a second, different PUCCH.

[0018] Those skilled in the art will understand that the term "PUCCH SCell activation" generally refers to the process used to configure the PUCCH between the UE and the SCell. PUCCH SCell activation can be initiated by the network via downlink signaling. The process may also include the UE acquiring timing information corresponding to the SCell and reporting beam information corresponding to the SCell. Once the SCell is activated, the UE can send UCIs to that SCell via the PUCCH.

[0019] The exemplary implementation introduces techniques that can be implemented on both the UE and network sides for PUCCH SCell activation. Throughout this specification, the term "PUCCH SCell" can refer to either a SCell configured with a PUCCH or a cell that the UE and network are attempting to activate. Therefore, the term "PUCCH SCell" can indicate a cell in the process of activation or activated via a PUCCH SCell.

[0020] Furthermore, the term "target PUCCH SCell" can refer to a cell that is being considered for PUCCH SCell activation or a cell that the UE and network are attempting to activate. Therefore, the term "target PUCCH SCell" can indicate a cell that has already initiated PUCCH SCell activation or a cell that is being activated via PUCCH SCell activation. Thus, in some examples, when describing a cell that is being activated via PUCCH SCell activation, the terms "PUCCH SCell" and "target PUCCH SCell" can be used interchangeably.

[0021] To facilitate PUCCH SCell activation, the UE can report beam information for the target PUCCH SCell to the network. For example, beam information may include the downlink beam synchronization block (SSB) index, CSI, Layer 1 (L1) reference signal received power (RSRP), and / or any other suitable type of information that can be used for PUCCH SCell activation. The beam information can be reported to the network, and the network can use this beam information to determine the associated SSB in the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) command for random access. Once the SCell is activated, the UE can send a UCI to that SCell via the PUCCH.

[0022] Various issues have been identified regarding the implementation of PUCCH SCell activation. One issue concerns how the UE should report beam information when the target PUCCH SCell is an unknown cell. For example, before PUCCH SCell activation, the UE may not have collected any measurement data corresponding to the target PUCCH SCell because the network has not configured the UE to perform any measurements on the target PUCCH SCell. In this type of scenario, the target PUCCH SCell can be considered an unknown cell. As noted above, the network uses beam information to perform various operations during PUCCH SCell activation. Therefore, a technique is needed to enable the UE to report beam information corresponding to the target PUCCH SCell when the target PUCCH SCell is an unknown cell. While exemplary implementations can be used in the unknown cell scenario mentioned above, exemplary implementations are not limited to this type of deployment scenario.

[0023] Exemplary implementations introduce techniques that enable PUCCH SCell activation in a variety of deployment scenarios. In one aspect, an exemplary implementation involves utilizing Layer 3 (L3) measurement reports for the PCell to provide the network with beaming information for PUCCH SCell activation. In another aspect, an exemplary implementation involves utilizing CSI / L1-RSRP reports based on the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) for the PCell to provide the network with beaming information for PUCCH SCell activation. In yet another aspect, an exemplary implementation involves utilizing conditional contention-based random access (CBRA) during PUCCH SCell activation. In yet another aspect, an exemplary implementation introduces cross-PUCCH group CSI reports for the target PUCCH SCell. In yet another aspect, an exemplary implementation introduces precondition-based PUCCH SCell activation. Each of these exemplary aspects will be described in more detail below. The exemplary techniques described herein can be used in conjunction with currently implemented PUCCH SCell activation procedures, future implementations of PUCCH SCell activation procedures, or independently of other PUCCH SCell activation techniques.

[0024] Figure 1 An exemplary network arrangement 100 according to various exemplary embodiments is illustrated. The exemplary network arrangement 100 includes a UE 110. Those skilled in the art will understand that the UE 110 can be any type of electronic component configured to communicate via a network, such as a mobile phone, tablet, desktop computer, smartphone, phablet, embedded device, wearable device, Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc. It should also be understood that a practical network arrangement can include any number of UEs used by any number of users. Therefore, for illustrative purposes, only an example with a single UE 110 is provided.

[0025] UE 110 can be configured to communicate with one or more networks. In the example of network deployment 100, the network with which UE 110 can wirelessly communicate is the 5G New Radio (NR) Radio Access Network (RAN) 120. However, UE 110 can also communicate with other types of networks (e.g., 5G cloud RAN, Next Generation RAN (NG-RAN), Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks, traditional cellular networks, Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), etc.), and UE 110 can also communicate with the network via a wired connection. Therefore, in this example, UE 110 may have a 5G NR chipset to communicate with the 5G NR RAN 120.

[0026] 5G NR-RAN 120 may be part of a cellular network that can be deployed by a cellular provider (e.g., Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.). Network 120 may include, for example, cells or base stations (NodeB, eNodeB, HeNB, eNBS, gNB, gNodeB, macrocell base station, microcell base station, small cell base station, femtocell base station, etc.) configured to send and receive traffic from UEs equipped with appropriate cellular chipsets.

[0027] In network deployment 100, the 5G NR RAN 120 is shown as having gNB 120A and gNB 120B. However, actual network deployments can include any number of base stations and / or cells of different types, deployed by any number of RANs. Therefore, the example of a single 5G NR-RAN 120 and two gNBs 120A and 120B is provided merely for illustrative purposes.

[0028] As described above, the exemplary implementation involves a PUCCH SCell. Those skilled in the art will understand that SCells can be used in carrier aggregation (CA) scenarios. To provide an example within the context of network deployment 100, gNB 120A can be configured as a PCell. Therefore, UE 110 can be configured with a first PUCCH to transmit UCIs to the PCell. Once activated, gNB 120B can be configured as a PUCCH SCell. Therefore, UE 110 can be configured with a second, different PUCCH to transmit UCIs to the PUCCH SCell. In some implementations, each PUCCH can be associated with a set of cells that may be referred to as a PUCCH group. Therefore, a UCI transmitted via the first PUCCH can correspond to a PCell (e.g., gNB 120A) and zero or more SCells. A UCI transmitted via the second PUCCH can correspond to a PUCCH SCell (e.g., gNB 120B) and zero or more SCells.

[0029] Those skilled in the art will understand that any relevant procedures can be performed for UE 110 to connect to 5G NR-RAN 120. For example, as described above, 5G NR-RAN 120 can be associated with a specific cellular provider, where UE 110 and / or its user have protocol and credential information (e.g., stored on a SIM card). Upon detecting the presence of 5G NR-RAN 120, UE 110 can transmit the corresponding credential information to associate with 5G NR-RAN 120. More specifically, UE 110 can be associated with a specific cell or base station (e.g., gNB 120A, gNB 120B).

[0030] Network deployment 100 also includes a cellular core network 130, an Internet 140, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) 150, and a network services backbone 160. The cellular core network 130 can be viewed as an interconnected set of components that manage the operation and traffic of the cellular network. It may include an evolved packet core (EPC) and / or a fifth-generation core (5GC). The cellular core network 130 also manages the traffic flowing between the cellular network and the Internet 140. The IMS 150 can generally be described as an architecture for delivering multimedia services to the UE 110 using IP protocols. The IMS 150 can communicate with the cellular core network 130 and the Internet 140 to provide multimedia services to the UE 110. The network services backbone 160 communicates directly or indirectly with the Internet 140 and the cellular core network 130. The network services backbone 160 can generally be described as a set of components (e.g., servers, network storage deployments, etc.) that implement a set of services that can be used to extend the functionality of the UE 110 to communicate with various networks.

[0031] Figure 2 An exemplary UE 110 according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. Reference will be made to... Figure 1 The network layout 100 is used to describe UE 110. UE 110 may include a processor 205, a memory layout 210, a display device 215, an input / output (I / O) device 220, a transceiver 225, and other components 230. The other components 230 may include, for example, audio input devices, audio output devices, power sources, data acquisition devices, ports for electrically connecting UE 110 to other electronic devices, etc.

[0032] Processor 205 can be configured to execute multiple engines of UE 110. For example, an engine may include PUCCH SCell activation engine 235. PUCCH SCell activation engine 235 can perform various operations related to PUCCH SCell activation, such as, but not limited to, transmitting PUCCH SCell activation capability information, collecting beam information corresponding to a target PUCCH SCell, and reporting the beam information corresponding to the target PUCCH SCell to the network.

[0033] The engine 235 described above, as an application (e.g., a program) executed by the processor 205, is provided merely for illustrative purposes. The functionality associated with engine 235 may also be represented as a separate integrated component of UE 110, or as a modular component coupled to UE 110, such as an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, the integrated circuit may include input circuitry for receiving signals and processing circuitry for processing signals and other information. The engine may also be embodied as a single application or multiple separate applications. Furthermore, in some UEs, the functionality described for processor 205 is distributed among two or more processors, such as a baseband processor and an application processor. Exemplary implementations may be implemented according to any of these or other configurations of the UE.

[0034] Memory arrangement 210 may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by UE 110. Display device 215 may be a hardware component configured to display data to a user, while I / O device 220 may be a hardware component enabling user input. Display device 215 and I / O device 220 may be separate components or may be integrated together (such as a touchscreen). Transceiver 225 may be a hardware component configured to establish connections with 5G NR-RAN 120 and other suitable types of networks. Therefore, transceiver 225 may operate on various frequencies or channels (e.g., consecutive frequency groups).

[0035] Figure 3 An exemplary base station 300 according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. Base station 300 may represent any access node (e.g., gNB 120A, gNB 120B, etc.) that UE 110 can use to establish connections and manage network operations.

[0036] Base station 300 may include processor 305, memory arrangement 310, input / output (I / O) devices 315, transceiver 320, and other components 325. Other components 325 may include, for example, batteries, data acquisition devices, ports for electrically connecting base station 300 to other electronic devices, etc.

[0037] Processor 305 can be configured to execute multiple engines of base station 300. For example, an engine may include PUCCH SCell activation engine 330. When base station 300 is to operate as a PCell, PUCCH SCell activation engine 330 can perform various operations related to PUCCH SCell activation, such as, but not limited to, receiving PUCCH SCell activation capability information, initiating PUCCH SCell activation, and receiving beam information corresponding to the target PUCCH SCell from UE 110. When base station 300 is to operate as a SCell, PUCCH SCell activation engine 330 can perform various operations related to PUCCH SCell activation, such as, but not limited to, transmitting downlink beams that can provide a basis for UE 110 to collect beam information, initiating PUCCH SCell activation, and receiving corresponding beam information from UE 110.

[0038] The engine 330 described above, as an application (e.g., a program) executed by the processor 305, is merely exemplary. Functions associated with the engine 330 may also be represented as independent components of the base station 300, or as modular components coupled to the base station 300, such as integrated circuits with or without firmware. For example, the integrated circuit may include input circuitry for receiving signals and processing circuitry for processing signals and other information. Furthermore, in some base stations, the functions described for the processor 305 are distributed among multiple processors (e.g., a baseband processor, an application processor, etc.). Exemplary implementations can be implemented according to any of these or other configurations of the base station.

[0039] Memory 310 may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by base station 300. I / O device 315 may be a hardware component or port enabling a user to interact with base station 300. Transceiver 320 may be a hardware component configured to exchange data with UE 110 and any other UE in system 100. Transceiver 320 may operate on a variety of different frequencies or channels (e.g., a set of consecutive frequencies). Therefore, transceiver 320 may include one or more components (e.g., radio components) to enable data exchange with various networks and UEs.

[0040] Figure 4 A method 400 for PUCCH SCell activation according to various exemplary embodiments is illustrated. Method 400 will be described from the perspective of UE 110, and the method is provided as a general overview of some of the operations that can be performed for PUCCH SCell activation. Additional details of exemplary beam information reporting techniques are provided below with reference to signaling diagrams 500 through 900.

[0041] In step 405, UE 110 pre-occupies the first cell of the network (e.g., gNB 120A). In step 410, PUCCHSCell activation is triggered. UE 110 may determine that PUCCHSCell activation has been initiated based on a signal received from the network or on any other suitable basis. For example, the network may transmit a signal to UE 110 to initiate PUCCHSCell activation. This signal may be a Radio Resource Control (RRC) signal, a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) command, a Downlink Control Information (DCI) signal, or any other suitable type of signal. Alternatively, in some embodiments, UE 110 may transmit a signal to the network that triggers PUCCHSCell activation. This signal may be a measurement report, part of a random access procedure, capability information, an explicit request, or any other suitable type of signal. Throughout this specification, any references to specific signals used to initiate PUCCHSCell activation are provided merely for illustrative purposes. Exemplary embodiments are applicable to PUCCHSCell activation triggered by any suitable type of signal.

[0042] In section 415, UE 110 can collect beam information corresponding to a target PUCCH SCell (e.g., gNB 120B). The beam information may include downlink beam SSB indexes, CSI, L1-RSRP, Layer 3 (L3) measurement data, and / or any other suitable type of information that can be used for PUCCH SCell activation. For example, UE 110 can monitor signals broadcast by the target PUCCH SCell. These signals may be transmitted via one or more downlink beams and include SSBs and / or downlink reference signals. These signals can provide UE 110 with a basis for deriving the beam information corresponding to the PUCCH SCell.

[0043] In 420, UE 110 can report beam information to the network. As described in more detail below, some exemplary techniques described herein relate to how UE 110 reports beam information corresponding to a target PUCCH SCell to the network. In some embodiments, the beam information can be transmitted to the PCell (e.g., gNB 120A) on a PUCCH configured between UE 110 and the PCell. In other embodiments, the beam information can be transmitted to the PCell (e.g., gNB 120A) on a PUSCH. In yet another embodiment, the beam information can be transmitted to the target PUCCH SCell during a random access procedure. As described above, method 400 is provided as a general overview of some of the operations that can be performed for PUCCH SCell activation. Additional details of exemplary beam information reporting techniques are provided below with reference to signaling diagrams 500 through 900.

[0044] In step 425, the target PUCCH SCell is activated. Therefore, UE 110 and the target PUCCH SCell are synchronized and configured with PUCCH. At this time, UE 110 can be configured with multiple PUCCH groups. For example, one PUCCH group may include a PCell (e.g., gNB 120A) and zero or more SCells, and another PUCCH group may include a PUCCH SCell (e.g., gNB 120B) and zero or more additional SCells. In step 430, UE 110 transmits a UCI to the PUCCH SCell (e.g., gNB 120A) on the PUCCH.

[0045] Figure 5 Signaling diagram 500 is shown to report beam information for PUCCHSCell activation using Layer L3 measurement reports according to various exemplary embodiments. Signaling diagram 500 includes UE 110, gNB 120A, and gNB 120B. In this example, gNB 120A can perform operations associated with PCell, and gNB 120B can perform operations associated with SCell.

[0046] In 505, UE 110 receives configuration information for collecting and reporting L3 measurement data corresponding to cells other than the serving cell. This configuration information may include indications regarding: the type of measurement to be performed, the type of reference signal to be measured, the type of metric to be generated, the threshold or condition to trigger the transmission of a measurement report, the neighboring cell ID, or any other type of information that enables UE 110 to collect L3 measurement data corresponding to a target PUCCH SCell.

[0047] In 510, UE 110 receives a PUCCH SCell activation signal. The PUCCH SCell activation signal can indicate to UE 110 that PUCCH SCell activation has been triggered by the network. For example, the PUCCH SCell activation signal could be an RRC message or a MAC CE that triggers L3 measurement reporting. However, the reference to the PUCCH SCell activation signal is provided for illustrative purposes only. UE 110 can determine that PUCCH SCell activation has been initiated based on any appropriate type of signal received from the network or on any other appropriate basis.

[0048] In 515, the target SCell can broadcast an SSB, a CSI reference signal (RS), or any other suitable type of reference signal. These resources can be aperiodic, semi-persistent, or periodic. In 520, the UE 110 performs L3 measurements on the signals transmitted in 515 to obtain beam information.

[0049] In 525, UE 110 transmits measurement reports to the PCell (e.g., gNB 120A). The measurement report may include beam information corresponding to the target PUCCH SCell (e.g., gNB 120B) and may be carried by RRC or MAC messages via PUSCH or any other suitable signaling technology. In some implementations, UE 110 may transmit the measurement report to a different serving cell configured to receive the measurement report, instead of the PCell.

[0050] In some scenarios, the timing lead (TA) of the PCell (e.g., gNB 120A) can differ from the TA of the target PUCCH SCell. Therefore, from the perspective of UE 110, the TA of the target PUCCH SCell can be invalid. The following description provides examples of techniques that can be implemented by the network to address timing and beam information issues associated with invalid TAs.

[0051] During PUCCH SCell activation, after receiving the measurement report and its beam information, if the TA of the target PUCCH SCell is invalid, the network can determine the associated SSB in the PDCCH command to trigger the Random Access Channel (RACH) on the target PUCCH SCell. The associated SSB can be selected by the network based on the L3 measurement report. For example, the SSB associated with the most favorable metric can be selected. Since the SSB is quasi-co-located with CSI-RS (QCL), the metric corresponding to either the SSB or CSI-RS can be used to select the associated SSB in the PDCCH command. However, this example is provided for illustrative purposes only, and the network can perform this selection on any appropriate basis.

[0052] Furthermore, the network can determine the Active Transport Configuration Indicator (TCI) for the PDCCH, Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), and / or CSI-RS of the target PUCCH SCell. The TCI can be selected by the network based on L3 measurement reports. For example, the active TCI can be quasi-co-located with the SSB and / or CSI-RS. The SSB and / or CSI-RS associated with the most favorable metric can provide the basis for the network to determine the active TCI. However, this example is provided for illustrative purposes only, and the network can perform this selection on any appropriate basis.

[0053] Furthermore, the network can determine the active uplink spatial relationships for the PUCCH of the target PUCCH SCell. This uplink spatial relationship can be determined by the network based on L3 measurement reports. For example, the SSB and / or CSI-RS associated with the most favorable metric can provide the basis for the network to determine the uplink spatial relationship. However, this example is provided for illustrative purposes only, and the network can perform this selection on any appropriate basis.

[0054] In 530, the target PUCCH SCell is activated. Therefore, in 535, UE 110 can transmit UCI to the PUCCHSCell.

[0055] Figure 6 Signaling diagram 600 is shown, illustrating a method for reporting beam information for PUCCHSCell activation using PUSCH-based reporting according to various exemplary embodiments. Signaling diagram 600 includes UE 110, gNB 120A, and gNB 120B. In this example, gNB 120A can perform operations associated with the PCell, and gNB 120B can perform operations associated with the SCell.

[0056] In 605, UE 110 receives configuration information for collecting and reporting L1 measurement data corresponding to cells other than the serving cell. This configuration information may include indications regarding: the type of measurement to be performed, the type of reference signal to be measured, the type of metric to be generated, the threshold or condition to trigger the transmission of a measurement report, the neighboring cell ID, or any other type of information that enables UE 110 to collect L1 measurement data corresponding to a target PUCCH SCell.

[0057] In 610, UE 110 receives a PUCCH SCell activation signal. The PUCCH SCell activation signal can indicate to UE 110 that PUCCH SCell activation has been triggered by the network. For example, the PUCCH SCell activation signal could be an RRC message or a MAC CE that triggers an L1 measurement report. However, the reference to the PUCCH SCell activation signal is provided for illustrative purposes only. UE 110 can determine that PUCCH SCell activation has been initiated based on any appropriate type of signal received from the network or on any other appropriate basis.

[0058] In 615, the target SCell (e.g., gNB 120B) can broadcast an SSB, CSI-RS, or any other suitable type of reference signal. These resources can be aperiodic, semi-persistent, or periodic. In 620, the UE 110 performs L1 measurements on the signals transmitted in 615 to obtain beam information.

[0059] In 625, UE 110 transmits a measurement report to a PCell (e.g., gNB 120A). The measurement report may include beam information corresponding to a target PUCCH SCell (e.g., gNB 120B) and is transmitted via the PUSCH. Similar to measurement resources, the measurement report can be aperiodic, semi-persistent, or periodic. Therefore, there may be scenarios where this beam information is provided to the network outside of the PUCCH SCell activation process. In some implementations, UE 110 may transmit the measurement report to a different serving cell configured to receive the measurement report, instead of the PCell.

[0060] As mentioned above, in some scenarios, the timing trace (TA) of the target PUCCH SCell can be invalid. The following description provides examples of techniques that can be implemented by the network to address the timing and beam information problems associated with invalid TAs.

[0061] During PUCCH SCell activation, after receiving the measurement report and its beam information, if the TA of the target PUCCH SCell is invalid, the network can determine the associated SSB in the PDCCH command to trigger RACH on the target PUCCH SCell. The associated SSB can be selected by the network based on the L1 measurement report. For example, the SSB associated with the most favorable metric can be selected. Since the SSB is quasi-co-located with the CSI-RS, the metric corresponding to either the SSB or the CSI-RS can be used to select the associated SSB in the PDCCH command. However, this example is provided for illustrative purposes only, and the network can perform this selection on any appropriate basis.

[0062] Furthermore, the network can determine the active TCI for the PDCCH, PDSCH, and / or CSI-RS of the target PUCCH SCell. The TCI can be selected by the network based on L1 measurement reports. For example, the active TCI can be quasi-co-located with the SSB and / or CSI-RS. The SSB and / or CSI-RS associated with the most favorable metric can provide the basis for the network to determine the active TCI. However, this example is provided for illustrative purposes only, and the network can perform this selection on any appropriate basis.

[0063] Furthermore, the network can determine the active uplink spatial relationships for the PUCCH of the target PUCCH SCell. This uplink spatial relationship can be determined by the network based on L1 measurement reports. For example, the SSB and / or CSI-RS associated with the most favorable metric can provide the basis for the network to determine the uplink spatial relationship. However, this example is provided for illustrative purposes only, and the network can perform this selection on any appropriate basis.

[0064] In step 630, the target PUCCH SCell is activated. Therefore, in step 635, UE 110 can transmit UCI to the PUCCH SCell.

[0065] Figure 7 Signaling diagram 700 is shown using contention-based random access (CBRA) during PUCCH SCell activation according to various exemplary implementations. Signaling diagram 700 includes UE 110, gNB 120A, and gNB 120B. In this example, gNB 120A can perform operations associated with PCell, and gNB 120B can perform operations associated with SCell.

[0066] Under normal circumstances, CBRA can be utilized after the PUCCH SCell has been activated. The exemplary implementation introduces CBRA during the PUCCH SCell activation process.

[0067] In 705, UE 110 transmits capability information to gNB 120A. This capability information indicates to the network whether UE 110 supports conditional CBRA on the target PUCCH SCell during PUCCH SCell activation. Those skilled in the art will understand that conditional CBRA refers to a time-limited CBRA procedure. In this example, when UE 110 and the network support this feature, the procedure can only be performed on the target PUCCH SCell during the PUCCH SCell activation process.

[0068] In 710, gNB 120A can transmit a signal to UE 110 indicating whether it will allow UE 110 to perform conditional CBRA on the target PUCCH SCell during PUCCH SCell activation.

[0069] In 715, UE 110 receives a PUCCH SCell activation signal. The PUCCH SCell activation signal can indicate to UE 110 that PUCCH SCell activation has been triggered by the network. For example, the PUCCH SCell activation signal can trigger a conditional CBRA on a target PUCCHSCell. However, the reference to the PUCCH SCell activation signal is provided for illustrative purposes only. UE 110 can determine that PUCCH SCell activation has been initiated based on any appropriate type of signal received from the network or on any other appropriate basis.

[0070] In 720, the target PUCCH SCell can broadcast the SSB. In 725, UE 110 performs L3 measurements on the SSB.

[0071] In 730, UE 110 transmits the RACH preamble associated with the SSB to the target PUCCH SCell. The SSB can be selected by UE 110 based on the SSB measurement performed in 725.

[0072] In 735, the network determines the beam direction to serve UE 110. For example, the network can monitor all possible beam directions associated with all possible SSBs. The RACH preamble can indicate to the network the appropriate beam direction to serve UE 110. Furthermore, the network can determine the active TCI for the PDCCH, PDSCH, and / or CSI-RS of the target PUCCH SCell. The active TCI can be quasi-co-located directly or indirectly with SSBs from conditional CBRAs. Further, the network can determine the uplink spatial relationship for the PUCCH of the target PUCCH SCell. The uplink spatial relationship can be quasi-co-located directly or indirectly with SSBs from conditional CBRAs.

[0073] In 740, the target PUCCH SCell is activated. Therefore, in 745, UE 110 can transmit UCI to the PUCCHSCell.

[0074] Under normal circumstances, a UE may be restricted from performing cross-PUCCH group reporting. Therefore, a UE can perform measurements on a target PUCCHSCell, but is restricted from reporting beam information to the PCell on the PUCCH. Furthermore, since PUCCH SCell activation has not yet been completed, there may not be other PUCCHs available for reporting beam information on. The exemplary implementation introduces an exception to enabling PUCCH SCell activation for cross-PUCCH group reporting.

[0075] Figure 8 Signaling diagram 800 for cross-PUCCH group reporting according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. Signaling diagram 800 includes UE 110, gNB 120A, and gNB 120B. In this example, gNB 120A can perform operations associated with PCell, and gNB 120B can perform operations associated with SCell.

[0076] In 805, UE 110 transmits capability information to gNB 120A. This capability information indicates to the network whether UE 110 supports cross-PUCCH group CSI reporting activated for a PUCCH SCell. Furthermore, UE 110 can indicate which PUCCH group to use for that CSI reporting.

[0077] In 810, gNB 120A can transmit a signal to UE 110 indicating whether it will allow UE 110 to perform cross-PUCCH group reporting for PUCCH SCell activation. Those skilled in the art will understand that the PUCCH group for the target PUCCH SCell may not yet be configured. Therefore, in this example, cross-PUCCH group reporting involves both established PUCCH groups and PUCCH groups to be configured.

[0078] In 815, the target SCell (e.g., gNB 120B) can broadcast an SSB, CSI-RS, or any other suitable type of reference signal. These resources can be aperiodic, semi-persistent, or periodic. In 820, the UE 110 performs measurements on the signals transmitted in 815 to obtain beam information associated with the target PUCCH SCell.

[0079] In 825, UE 110 transmits measurement reports to the PCell (e.g., gNB 120A) via PUCCH. In some implementations, UE 110 may transmit measurement reports to a different serving cell via PUCCH instead of the PCell. Subsequently, the network and / or UE 110 may perform various operations to activate the target PUCCHSCell based on the measurement reports transmitted to the PCell via PUCCH.

[0080] In 830, the target PUCCH SCell is activated. Therefore, in 835, UE 110 can transmit UCI to the PUCCHSCell.

[0081] Figure 9 Signaling diagram 900 for precondition-based PUCCH SCell activation according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. Signaling diagram 900 includes UE 110, gNB 120A, and gNB 120B. In this example, gNB 120A can perform operations associated with the PCell, and gNB 120B can perform operations associated with the SCell.

[0082] In 905, UE 110 receives configuration information for collecting and reporting measurement data corresponding to cells other than the serving cell. This configuration information may include indications regarding: the type of measurement to be performed, the type of reference signal to be measured, the type of metric to be generated, the threshold or condition to trigger the transmission of a measurement report, the neighboring cell ID, or any other type of information that enables UE 110 to collect L3 measurement data corresponding to a target PUCCH SCell.

[0083] In 910, the target SCell (e.g., gNB 120B) can broadcast an SSB, CSI-RS, or any other suitable type of reference signal. These resources can be aperiodic, semi-persistent, or periodic. In 915, the UE 110 performs L1 and / or L3 measurements on the signals transmitted in 910 to obtain beam information associated with the target PUCCH SCell.

[0084] In step 920, UE 110 transmits a measurement report to the PCell (e.g., gNB 120A). The measurement report may include beam information corresponding to the target PUCCH SCell (e.g., gNB 120B). Similar to measurement resources, the measurement report can be aperiodic, semi-persistent, or periodic.

[0085] In 925, UE 110 receives a PUCCH SCell activation signal corresponding to the target PUCCH SCell. The PUCCH SCell activation signal can indicate to UE 110 that PUCCH SCell activation has been triggered by the network.

[0086] The exemplary implementation introduces a network-side constraint whereby the network must obtain the beam information of the target PUCCH cell before initiating PUCCH SCell activation. Therefore, in this example, if the measurement report does not include beam information corresponding to gNB 120B, the network will not initiate PUCCH SCell activation for gNB 120B.

[0087] Here, it is assumed that the measurement report in 920 includes beam information corresponding to the target PUCCH SCell. Therefore, in 930, the target PUCCH SCell is activated. In 935, UE 110 can transmit UCI to the PUCCH SCell.

[0088] Those skilled in the art will understand that the exemplary embodiments described above can be implemented with any suitable software or hardware configuration or combination thereof. Exemplary hardware platforms for implementing the exemplary embodiments may include, for example, Intel x86-based platforms with compatible operating systems, Windows OS, Mac platforms and MAC OS, and mobile devices with operating systems such as iOS, Android, etc. Exemplary embodiments of the methods described above may be embodied as programs comprising lines of code stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, which, at compile time, can be executed on a processor or microprocessor.

[0089] Although this patent application describes various combinations of various embodiments, each with different features, those skilled in the art will understand that any feature of an embodiment can be combined with features of other embodiments or features that are not functionally or logically inconsistent with the operation or function of the device of the disclosed embodiment of the invention in any manner not explicitly denied.

[0090] As is widely recognized, the use of personally identifiable information should comply with privacy policies and practices that are generally accepted to meet or exceed industry or governmental requirements for protecting 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 explained to users.

[0091] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to this disclosure without departing from its spirit or scope. Therefore, this disclosure is intended to cover all modifications and variations thereof, provided that such modifications and variations are within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An apparatus for a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising a processor configured to perform operations comprising: receiving a signal from a network, the signal indicating that a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) secondary cell (SCell) activation procedure has been initiated; transmitting capability information, the capability information indicating whether the UE supports cross-PUCCH group channel state information (CSI) reporting during the PUCCH SCell activation procedure; collecting beam information corresponding to a target PUCCH SCell, wherein the beam information comprises beam measurement information; reporting the beam information to a primary cell (PCell) during the PUCCH SCell activation procedure; determining that the target PUCCH SCell has been activated as a PUCCH SCell; and transmitting uplink control information (UCI) to the PUCCH SCell over a PUCCH, wherein the UE is further configured with a different PUCCH corresponding to the PCell.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the target PUCCH SCell and the PCell are associated with different timing advances (TAs).

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein collecting the beam information comprises performing layer 3 (L3) measurements on one or more signals transmitted by the target PUCCH SCell, and wherein reporting the beam information is performed using an L3 measurement report.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein collecting the beam information comprises performing layer 1 (LI) measurements on one or more signals transmitted by the target PUCCH SCell, and wherein reporting the beam information is performed in an LI measurement report.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the beam information is transmitted to the PCell on a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the beam information is reported to the PCell on the PUCCH corresponding to the PCell.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the collecting and reporting are performed during the PUCCH SCell activation procedure.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the collecting and reporting are performed prior to receiving the signal indicating that the PUCCH SCell activation procedure has been initiated.

9. An apparatus for a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising a processor configured to perform operations comprising: receiving a signal from a network, the signal indicating that a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) secondary cell (SCell) activation procedure has been initiated; receiving an indication from the network, the indication indicating that conditional contention-based random access (CBRA) is allowed for the PUCCH SCell activation procedure; receiving one or more synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) from a cell; ​ transmitting a random access channel (RACH) preamble to the cell, wherein the RACH preamble is selected based on the one or more SSBs; determining that the cell has been configured as a PUCCH SCell for the UE; and transmitting uplink control information (UCI) to the cell via PUCCH, wherein the UE is further configured with a different PUCCH corresponding to a primary cell (PCell).

10. The apparatus of claim 9, the operations further comprising: transmitting capability information, the capability information indicating whether the UE supports conditional contention-based random access (CBRA) for the PUCCH SCell activation procedure.

11. An apparatus for a base station, the apparatus comprising a processor configured to perform operations comprising: transmitting a signal to a user equipment (UE), the signal indicating that a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) secondary cell (SCell) activation procedure has been initiated; receiving capability information from the UE, the capability information indicating whether the UE supports cross-PUCCH group channel state information (CSI) reporting during the PUCCH SCell activation procedure; and receiving beam information corresponding to a target PUCCH SCell from the UE, wherein the beam information includes beam measurement information.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the base station and the target PUCCH SCell are associated with different timing advances (TAs).

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein reporting the beam information is performed using a layer 3 (L3) measurement report.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, the operations further comprising: determining an associated synchronization signal block (SSB) in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) command based on the L3 measurement report to be used to trigger a random access channel (RACH) procedure on the target PUCCH SCell.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, the operations further comprising: determining an active transmission configuration indication (TCI) for the target PUCCH SCell based on the L3 measurement report.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, the operations further comprising: determining uplink spatial relation information for a PUCCH corresponding to the target PUCCH SCell based on the L3 measurement report.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein reporting the beam information is performed using a layer 1 (L1) measurement report.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, the operations further comprising: determining an associated synchronization signal block (SSB) in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) command based on the L1 measurement report to be used to trigger a random access channel (RACH) procedure on the target PUCCH SCell.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, the operations further comprising: determining, based on the LI measurement report, an active transmission configuration indication (TCI) for the target PUCCH SCell.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, the operations further comprising: determining, based on the LI measurement report, uplink spatial relation information for a PUCCH corresponding to the target PUCCH SCell.

21. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the beam information is transmitted to the base station on a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

22. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the beam information is transmitted to the base station on a PUCCH.

23. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the beam information is received during the PUCCH SCell activation procedure.

24. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the beam information is received prior to transmitting the signal indicating that the PUCCH SCell activation procedure has been initiated, wherein the base station is not allowed to transmit the signal unless beam information corresponding to the target PUCCH SCell is received.

25. The apparatus of claim 11, the operations further comprising: receiving further capability information indicating whether the UE supports conditional contention-based random access (CBRA) for the PUCCH SCell activation procedure.

26. The apparatus of claim 11, the operations further comprising: transmitting an indication to the UE indicating that conditional contention-based random access (CBRA) is allowed for the PUCCH SCell activation procedure.

27. An apparatus for a base station, the apparatus comprising a processor configured to perform operations comprising: transmitting, during a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) secondary cell (SCell) activation procedure, a reference signal or synchronization signal block (SSB) received by a user equipment (UE); determining that the base station has been activated as a PUCCH SCell for the UE; and receiving uplink control information (UCI) from the UE via a PUCCH, wherein the UE receives an indication from a primary cell (PCell) indicating that conditional contention-based random access (CBRA) is allowed for the PUCCH SCell activation procedure.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the base station and the PCell for the UE are associated with different timing advances (TAs).

29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the UE reports beam information corresponding to the base station to a serving cell on a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), and wherein the base station and the serving cell are different network nodes.

30. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the UE reports beam information corresponding to the base station to a serving cell on a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), and wherein the base station and the serving cell are associated with different PUCCH groups.

31. The apparatus of claim 27, the operations further comprising: receiving a random access channel (RACH) preamble from the UE during a conditional contention-based random access (CBRA) procedure that occurs during the PUCCH SCell activation procedure; and in response to the RACH preamble, determining a beam direction with which to serve the UE. ​

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