Beam failure recovery in multi-cell configuration

Abstract

A method for a user equipment (UE) to communicate with a wireless network via a plurality of cells. The method includes detecting (1210) a failure of a first beam associated with a first cell of the plurality of cells and determining (1230) availability or unavailability of other beams associated with the first cell other than the first beam. The method also includes transmitting (1280) a message to one of the plurality of cells indicating the availability or unavailability of the other beams associated with the first cell. The message is transmitted (1220) within a first time duration after detecting the failure of the first beam, the first time duration being based on a maximum time for determining availability of the other beams and based on a periodicity of resources allocated for beam failure reporting in the cell where the message is transmitted. Other embodiments include complementary methods for network nodes, UEs and network nodes configured to perform such methods.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of this disclosure generally relate to wireless networks, and more specifically, to improving beam management for communication between a wireless network and a wireless device (or user equipment) operating in the wireless network. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, fifth-generation (“5G”) cellular systems, also known as New Radio (NR), are being standardized within the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). NR is being developed for maximum flexibility to support a variety of fundamentally different use cases. These include enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), machine-type communication (MTC), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), side-link device-to-device (D2D), and several other use cases. This disclosure generally relates to NR, but for context, the following description of Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology is provided as it shares many characteristics with NR.

[0003] LTE is a general term for the fourth-generation (4G) radio access technology (RAT) developed within 3GPP and initially standardized in Releases 8 and 9, also known as Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN). LTE is available in a variety of frequency bands and is accompanied by non-radio improvements known as System Architecture Evolution (SAE), including the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network. LTE continues to evolve through subsequent releases.

[0004] Figure 1 A general exemplary architecture of a network including LTE and SAE is shown. E-UTRAN 100 includes one or more evolved Node Bs (eNBs) such as eNB105, 110, and 115, and one or more user equipments (UEs) such as UE 120. As used within 3GPP standards, "user equipment" or "UE" refers to any wireless communication device (e.g., a smartphone or computing device) capable of communicating with network equipment conforming to 3GPP standards, including E-UTRAN as well as UTRAN and / or GERAN, while third-generation ("3G") and second-generation ("2G") 3GPP RANs are well known.

[0005] As specified by 3GPP, E-UTRAN 100 is responsible for all radio-related functions in the network, including radio bearer control, radio admission control, radio mobility control, scheduling, dynamic allocation of resources to the UE in the uplink and downlink, and security of communications with the UE. These functions reside in eNBs (such as eNBs 105, 110, and 115). Each eNB can serve the geographic coverage area of ​​one or more cells (including cells 106, 111, and 115, served by eNBs 105, 110, and 115, respectively).

[0006] In E-UTRAN, eNBs communicate with each other via the X2 interface, such as Figure 1 As shown. The eNB is also responsible for the E-UTRAN interface to the EPC 130, specifically the S1 interface to the Mobility Management Entity (MME) and the Serving Gateway (SGW). Figure 1 In standard, these are uniformly displayed as MME / S-GW 134 and 138. Generally, the MME / S-GW handles both the overall control of the UE and the data flow between the UE and the rest of the EPC. More specifically, the MME handles the signaling (e.g., control plane) protocols between the UE and the EPC, which are referred to as Non-Access Stratum (NAS) protocols. The S-GW handles all Internet Protocol (IP) data packets (e.g., data or user plane) between the UE and the EPC and acts as a local mobility anchor for data carrying when the UE moves between eNBs (such as eNBs 105, 110, and 115).

[0007] EPC 130 may also include a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 131 for managing user-related and subscriber-related information. HSS 131 may also provide support functions for mobility management, call and session setup, user authentication, and access authorization. The functionality of HSS 131 may be related to that of a traditional Home Location Register (HLR) and Authentication Center (AuC) functions or operations. HSS 131 may also communicate with MMEs 134 and 138 via appropriate S6a interfaces.

[0008] In some embodiments, the HSS 131 can communicate with via the Ud interface. Figure 1 The EPC-UDR 135 is used for User Data Storage (UDR) communication. The EPC-UDR 135 can store user credentials after they have been encrypted using AuC algorithms. These algorithms are not standardized (i.e., vendor-specific), ensuring that the encrypted credentials stored in the EPC-UDR 135 cannot be accessed by any vendor other than the vendor of the HSS131.

[0009] Figure 2This diagram illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary control plane (CP) protocol stack between the UE, eNB, and MME. The exemplary protocol stack includes the Physical (PHY), Media Access Control (MAC), Radio Link Control (RLC), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), and Radio Resource Control (RRC) layers between the UE and eNB. The PHY layer focuses on how and what features are used to transmit data over the transport channel on the LTE radio interface. The MAC layer provides data delivery services over logical channels, mapping logical channels to PHY transport channels and reallocating PHY resources to support these services. The RLC layer provides error detection and / or error correction, concatenation, segmentation and reassembly, and reordering of data transmitted to or from upper layers. The PDCP layer provides encryption / decryption and integrity protection for both the CP and the User Plane (UP), as well as other UP functions such as header compression. The exemplary protocol stack also includes Non-Access Stratum (NAS) signaling between the UE and MME.

[0010] The RRC layer controls communication between the UE and eNB at the radio interface, as well as UE mobility between cells in the E-UTRAN. After the UE is powered on, it will be in the RRC_IDLE state until an RRC connection with the network is established, at which point the UE will transition to the RRC_CONNECTED state (e.g., where data transfer can occur). After the connection with the network is lost, the UE returns to RRC_IDLE. In the RRC_IDLE state, the UE does not belong to any cell, no RRC background has been established for the UE (e.g., in the E-UTRAN), and the UE is not synchronized with the network's UL. Even so, the UE in the RRC_IDLE state is known in the EPC and has an assigned IP address.

[0011] Furthermore, in the RRC_IDLE state, the UE's radio is active on Discontinuous Reception (DRX) scheduling configured by the upper layer. During the DRX activity period (also known as the "DRX On Duration"), the RRC_IDLE UE receives System Information (SI) broadcast by the serving cell, performs measurements of neighboring cells to support cell reselection, and monitors the paging channel for paging from the EPC via the eNB serving the cell where the UE is camped.

[0012] The UE must perform a Random Access (RA) procedure to move from the RRC_IDLE state to the RRC_CONNECTED state. In the RRC_CONNECTED state, the cell serving the UE is known, and an RRC background is established for the UE in the serving eNB, enabling communication between the UE and the eNB. For example, a Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier (C-RNTI) is configured for the UE in the RRC_CONNECTED state—the UE identity used for signaling between the UE and the network.

[0013] The multiple access schemes used in LTE PHY are based on Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) with a cyclic prefix (CP) in the downlink (DL) and Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) with a cyclic prefix in the uplink (UL). To support transmission in both paired and unpaired spectrum, LTE PHY supports both Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) (including both full-duplex and half-duplex operation) and Time Division Duplex (TDD). LTE FDD downlink (DL) radio frames have a fixed duration of 10 ms and consist of 20 0.5 ms slots. A 1 ms subframe comprises two consecutive slots, each of which includes N... sc N consisting of OFDM subcarriers DL symb Each OFDM symbol. Similarly, each UL time slot consists of N UL symb It consists of N OFDM symbols, each OFDM symbol including N sc Each OFDM subcarrier. A combination of specific subcarriers within a specific symbol is called a resource element (RE).

[0014] The LTE PHY maps various DL and UL physical channels to the resources described above. Generally, a physical channel corresponds to a set of REs carrying information originating from higher layers. Within LTE DL and UL, certain REs within each LTE subframe are reserved for the transmission of reference signals. A DL demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) is transmitted to assist the UE in receiving associated physical channels (e.g., PDCCH or PDSCH). Other DL reference signals include cell-specific reference signals (CRS), positioning reference signals (PRS), and CSI reference signals (CSI-RS). Other similar RS-like DL signals include primary synchronization sequences (PSS) and secondary synchronization sequences (SSS), which facilitate UE time and frequency synchronization and the acquisition of system parameters (e.g., via PBCH). UL reference signals include DM-RS transmitted to assist the eNB in ​​receiving associated physical channels (e.g., PUCCH or PUSCH); and probe reference signals (SRS) not associated with any uplink channel.

[0015] LTE Rel-10 supports bandwidths greater than 20 MHz and is backward compatible with LTE Rel-8. In this way, a wideband LTE Rel-10 carrier (e.g., wider than 20 MHz) should appear as several component carriers (CCs) to an LTE Rel-8 (“traditional”) terminal. This technique is commonly referred to as carrier aggregation (CA). Dual connectivity (DC) frameworks were introduced in LTE Rel-12. DC refers to an operating mode in which a UE in the RRC_CONNECTED state consumes radio resources provided by at least two different network nodes (or points) interconnected via a non-ideal backhaul. In LTE, these two network nodes are called the primary eNB (MeNB) and secondary eNB (SeNB), but more generally they may be referred to as the primary node (MN) and secondary node (SN), respectively.

[0016] In DC, the UE is configured with a primary cell group (MCG) associated with the MN and a secondary cell group (SCG) associated with the SN. Each CG in the CG is a group of serving cells, which includes a MAC entity, a set of logical channels with associated RLC entities, a primary cell (PCell), and one or more optional secondary cells (SCells). The term "special cell" (or simply "SpCell") refers to the PCell of the MCG or the PCell of the SCG (also known as the "primary SCG cell" or "PSCell"), depending on whether the UE's MAC entity is associated with the MCG or the SCG, respectively. In non-DC operation (e.g., CA), SpCell refers to the PCell. The SpCell is always active and supports transmission by the UE's PUCCH and contention-based random access.

[0017] Fifth-generation NR technology shares many similarities with fourth-generation LTE. For example, NR uses CP-OFDM (Cyclic Prefix Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) in the DL (Deep Node) and both CP-OFDM and DFT-Extended OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM) in the UL (Upper Node). As another example, in the time domain, NR DL and UL physical resources are organized into 1ms subframes of equal size. These subframes are further divided into multiple time slots of equal duration, each containing multiple OFDM-based symbols. As yet another example, the NR RRC layer includes the RRC_IDLE and RRC_CONNECTED states, but adds an additional state called RRC_INACTIVE, which has some properties similar to the "suspended" condition in LTE. NR also includes a new DC variant that includes a multi-RAT (MR) DC involving one connection to an NR node (e.g., a gNB) and a second connection to an eNB.

[0018] In addition to providing coverage via cells, NR networks also provide coverage via “beams,” as in LTE. Typically, a DL “beam” is the coverage area of ​​a network-transmitted RS that can be measured or monitored by the UE. For example, in NR, such RSs can be individually or in combination of any of the following: SS / PBCH block (SSB), CSI-RS, tertiary reference signal (or any other synchronization signal), positioning RS (PRS), DMRS, phase tracking reference signal (PTRS), etc. Generally, the SSB is available to all UEs regardless of the RRC state, while other RSs (e.g., CSI-RS, DM-RS, PTRS) are associated with a specific UE that has a network connection (i.e., in the RRC_CONNECTED state).

[0019] In NR, beam management is used to maintain beam connectivity between the network and the UE for transmission and reception. At a high level, beam management includes procedures for beam setup, beam failure recovery, and beam indication. Beam setup involves selecting the UE with the best (e.g., strongest) beam when it connects to the network. Beam failure recovery involves the UE switching to a different beam within the same cell when the current beam becomes too weak due to changes in channel conditions (e.g., UE location change and / or rotation). The UE uses beam indication to report the current beam conditions to the network.

[0020] In NR Rel-15, beam management is supported only on PCells and PSCells, while for NR Rel-16, support for beam management in SCells is considered. Some SCells may only support DL reception of the channel / signal, while others may support both DL reception and UL transmission. This variation in SCell configuration and / or capabilities can cause various problems, challenges, and / or difficulties in beam management. Summary of the Invention

[0021] Embodiments of this disclosure provide specific improvements to communication between user equipment (UE) and network nodes in a wireless communication network, such as by facilitating solutions to overcome the exemplary problems outlined above and described in more detail below.

[0022] Some embodiments of this disclosure include methods (e.g., procedures) for configuring a UE for communication via multiple cells in a wireless network.

[0023] These exemplary methods may include detecting a failure of a first beam associated with a first cell in a plurality of cells. These exemplary methods may also include determining the availability of other beams associated with the first cell besides the first beam. These exemplary methods may further include transmitting a message to one of the plurality of cells indicating the availability or unavailability of the other beams associated with the first cell. After detecting a failure of the first beam, the message is transmitted for a first duration. The first duration may be based on a maximum time for determining the availability of other beams and on the periodicity of resources allocated for beam failure reporting in the cell where the message is transmitted.

[0024] In some embodiments, the first duration may be further based on:

[0025] UE capabilities to operate using independent or common beams in the first and other cells of multiple cells; and

[0026] The carrier frequency difference between the first cell and the other cells in a multi-cell network.

[0027] In some embodiments, determining availability or unavailability may include various operations, including: measuring the signal strength of the corresponding other beams; determining availability based on the measured signal strength of at least one of the other beams being higher than a predetermined threshold; and determining unavailability based on the corresponding measured signal strength of all other beams being lower than a predetermined threshold.

[0028] In some embodiments, these exemplary methods may further include, upon detecting a failure of the first beam, starting a timer with a maximum duration for determining the availability of other beams. In such embodiments, determining availability or unavailability may include determining unavailability based on the expiration of the timer before determining the availability of other beams.

[0029] In some embodiments, these exemplary methods may further include selecting a second beam from among other beams based on signal strength measured by the UE, based on determining the availability of other beams. In such embodiments, the transmitted message may indicate the second beam.

[0030] In some of these embodiments, the first cell is a PCell or PSCell, and in the first cell, the message is transmitted as a random access (RA) preamble using random access RA resources corresponding to the selected second beam.

[0031] In some embodiments of these examples, these exemplary methods may further include performing a cell reselection process to select a third beam from the other beams based on the determination of unavailability of other beams. In such an embodiment, the message may be transmitted as an RA preamble using the RA resource corresponding to the third beam in the first cell.

[0032] In some of these embodiments, the first duration is based on the periodicity of the RA resource corresponding to the second beam or the third beam, i.e., depending on whether availability or unavailability is determined.

[0033] In other embodiments, the first cell is an SCell, and the message is transmitted as a Media Access Control (MAC) message via cells other than the first cell. Specifically, the other cells are PCells or PSCells.

[0034] In some embodiments of these examples, these exemplary methods may further include using resources allocated for beam failure reporting to transmit a scheduling request (SR), and in response to the SR, receiving permission for UL resources to transmit a message. In such embodiments, the first duration is based on the periodicity of resources allocated for the SR associated with beam failure recovery.

[0035] In some embodiments of these examples, these exemplary methods may further include: based on determining the unavailability of other beams, and after sending a message, suppressing (i.e., not performing) one or more operations related to the SCell to reduce UE power consumption and / or UL interference. In some embodiments, the UE may suppress one or more operations for a second duration configured by the wireless network. In various embodiments, one or more operations may include any of the following:

[0036] Monitor at least one DL signal or channel associated with the first cell;

[0037] Monitor all DL signals or channels associated with the first cell;

[0038] Transmit at least one UL signal or channel associated with the first cell; and

[0039] Transmit all UL signals or channels associated with the first cell.

[0040] Other embodiments include methods (e.g., procedures) for communicating with a UE via beams associated with multiple cells in a wireless network. These exemplary methods may be performed by one or more network nodes (e.g., base stations, eNBs, gNBs, en-gNBs, etc., or components thereof) in a wireless network (e.g., E-UTRAN, NG-RAN).

[0041] These exemplary methods may include transmitting a first beam associated with a first cell among a plurality of cells. These exemplary methods may also include receiving from a UE via one of the plurality of cells a message indicating the availability or unavailability of other beams associated with the first cell. The message may be received for a first duration after the UE detects a failure of the first beam. The first duration may be based on a maximum time for determining the availability of other beams and on the periodicity of resources allocated for beam failure reporting in the cell where the message is received.

[0042] In some embodiments, the first duration may be further based on:

[0043] UE capabilities to operate using independent or common beams in the first and other cells of multiple cells; and

[0044] The carrier frequency difference between the first cell and the other cells in a multi-cell network.

[0045] In some embodiments, these exemplary methods may also include configuring the UE with one or more of the following:

[0046] The timer start value corresponds to the maximum time used to determine the availability of other beams after a beam failure is detected; and

[0047] The signal strength threshold used to determine the availability of other beams after a beam failure is detected.

[0048] In some embodiments, the first cell is a PCell or a PSCell. When a message indicates availability, the message indicates the second of a plurality of beams selected by the UE, and in the first cell, the message is received as an RA preamble using the random access RA resource corresponding to the second beam.

[0049] In some of these embodiments, when the message indicates unavailability, the message indicates the third of a plurality of beams selected by the UE, and in the first cell, the message is received as an RA preamble using the RA resource corresponding to the third beam.

[0050] In some of these embodiments, the first duration is based on the periodicity of the RA resource corresponding to the second beam or the third beam, i.e., depending on whether the message indicates availability or unavailability.

[0051] In other embodiments, the first cell is an SCell, and the message is received as a MAC message via a cell other than the first cell. Specifically, the other cells are PCells or PSCells.

[0052] In some embodiments of these examples, these exemplary methods may further include: receiving a scheduling request (SR) from the UE in resources allocated for beam failure reporting; and, in response to the SR, granting the UE permission to transmit UL resources for message transmission. In some embodiments of these examples, the first duration is based on the periodicity of resources allocated for the SR associated with beam failure recovery.

[0053] In some of these embodiments, when the message indicates the availability of other beams, it also indicates a second beam among a plurality of beams selected by the UE. In other embodiments, the message indicates that no other beams are available.

[0054] In some embodiments, a single network node transmits the first beam and receives the message. In other embodiments, a first network node transmits the first beam, and a second network node receives the message.

[0055] Other embodiments include UEs (e.g., wireless devices, IoT devices, or components thereof, such as modems) and network nodes (e.g., base stations, eNBs, gNBs, en-gNBs, etc., or components thereof) configured to perform operations corresponding to any of the exemplary methods described herein. Other exemplary embodiments include a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry, configure such a UE or network node to perform operations corresponding to any of the exemplary methods described herein.

[0056] The embodiments described herein, and others, can reduce, mitigate, and / or eliminate ambiguity in UE behavior regarding beam failure detection and / or recovery procedures on SCell, PCell, or PSCell. Furthermore, the embodiments can reduce, mitigate, and / or eliminate UE service interruptions due to beam failure.

[0057] These and other objects, features, and advantages of the embodiments of this disclosure will become apparent from the accompanying drawings, which are briefly described below, and from the following detailed description. Attached Figure Description

[0058] Figure 1It is a high-level block diagram of an exemplary architecture for UTRAN (E-UTRAN) and Evolved Packet Core (EPC) networks that are evolved from Long Term Evolution (LTE).

[0059] Figure 2 An exemplary control plane (CP) protocol layer of the radio interface between the user equipment (UE) and the E-UTRAN is shown.

[0060] Figures 3 to 4 Two high-level views illustrate the exemplary 5G network architecture.

[0061] Figure 5 An exemplary frequency domain configuration for a 5G / NR UE is shown.

[0062] Figure 6 An exemplary time-frequency resource grid for NR (e.g., 5G) time slots is shown.

[0063] Figure 7 (including) Figures 7A to 7B The diagram shows exemplary NR time slot and mini time slot configurations.

[0064] Figures 8 to 9 This is a signal flow diagram of an exemplary procedure for UE beam failure recovery in a SpCell (e.g., PCCell or PSCell) according to various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure.

[0065] Figures 10 to 11 This is a signal flow diagram of an exemplary procedure for UE beam failure recovery in SCell according to various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure.

[0066] Figure 12 A flowchart is shown of an exemplary method (e.g., process) for a user equipment (UE, such as a wireless device, IoT device, etc.) according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0067] Figure 13 A flowchart is shown of an exemplary method (e.g., process) for a network node (e.g., a base station, eNB, gNB, en-gNB, etc. or components thereof) according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0068] Figure 14 This is a block diagram of an exemplary wireless device or UE according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0069] Figure 15 This is a block diagram of an exemplary network node according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0070] Figure 16This is a block diagram of an exemplary network configured to provide over-the-top (OTT) data services between a host computer and a UE, according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0071] Some embodiments of the ideas contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, other embodiments are included within the scope of the subject matter disclosed herein, and the disclosed subject matter should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0072] Generally, all terms used herein should be interpreted according to their common meaning in the relevant art, unless a different meaning is clearly given and / or implied from the context in which they are used. All references to a (a / an) / element, device, component, part, step, etc. are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of the element, device, component, part, step, etc., unless expressly stated otherwise. The steps of any method and / or process disclosed herein need not be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless a step is explicitly described as occurring after or before another step, and / or implies that a step must occur after or before another step. Where appropriate, any feature of any embodiment of the disclosed examples herein may be applied to any other embodiment. Similarly, any advantage of any embodiment of the examples may be applied to any other embodiment, and vice versa. Other objects, features, and advantages of the various embodiments will be apparent from the following description. Furthermore, various terms discussed below will be used throughout the application, and these terms are summarized as follows.

[0073] As used herein, the term "network node" can refer to any type of network node included in a radio network, and may further include any of the following: base station (BS), radio base station, base transceiver station (BTS), base station controller (BSC), radio network controller (RNC), g Node B (gNB), evolved Node B (eNB or eNodeB), Node B, multi-standard radio (MSR) radio node such as MSR BS, multi-cell / multicast coordination entity (MCE), relay node, donor node of control relay, radio access point (AP), transmission point, transmission node, remote radio unit (RRU), remote radio headend (RRH), core network node (e.g., mobility management entity (MME), self-organizing network (SON) node, coordination node, location node, MDT node, etc.), external node (e.g., third-party node, node outside the current network), node in distributed antenna system (DAS), spectrum access system (SAS) node, element management system (EMS), etc. Network nodes may also include test equipment. The term “radio node” as used in this article can also be used to refer to a wireless device (WD), such as a wireless device (WD) or a radio network node.

[0074] The term "radio network node" can refer to any type of network node, which may include any type of base station, radio base station, base transceiver station, base station controller, network controller, RNC, evolved Node B (eNB), Node B, gNB, multi-cell / multicast coordination entity (MCE), relay node, access point, radio access point, remote radio unit (RRU), and remote radio headend (RRH).

[0075] In some embodiments, a TRP may be associated with a network node or a radio network node. In some embodiments, a multi-TRP scenario may include more than one TRP associated with one or more network nodes.

[0076] Note that while terms from a particular wireless system (e.g., LTE and / or NR) may be used herein, this should not be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure to the aforementioned systems. Other wireless systems, including but not limited to Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Microwave Access Global Interoperability (WiMax), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), may also benefit from the application of the ideas covered herein.

[0077] Unless otherwise stated, the terms “wireless device” (or simply “WD”) and “user equipment” (or simply “UE”) are used interchangeably. A WD can be any type of wireless device capable of communicating with a network node or another WD via radio signals, such as a wireless device (WD). A WD can also be a radio communication device, a target device, a device-to-device (D2D) WD, a machine-type WD or a WD capable of machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, a low-cost and / or low-complexity WD, a sensor equipped with a WD, a tablet, a mobile terminal, a smartphone, a laptop embedded device (LEE), a laptop mounted device (LME), a USB dongle, a client device (CPE), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) device, an aerial device (e.g., a drone), a ProSe UE, a V2V UE, a V2X UE, etc.

[0078] Unless otherwise stated, the functions described herein as being performed by WD, UE, network nodes, radio network nodes, etc., may be distributed across multiple devices and / or network nodes. In other words, it is conceivable that the functions of the network nodes and WD described herein are not limited to being performed by a single physical device, and in fact, may be distributed across several physical devices.

[0079] Unless otherwise stated, the term "time resource" can refer to any type of physical or radio resource expressed in terms of length of time, time interval, or duration. In some embodiments, the term "time slot" is used to indicate a radio resource; however, it should be understood that the techniques described herein, such as any type of physical or radio resource expressed in terms of length of time, can be advantageously used in conjunction with other types of radio resources. Examples of time resources include symbols, time slots, mini-time slots, subframes, radio frames, transmission time intervals (TTI), interleaving times, time resource numbers, etc.

[0080] Unless otherwise stated, the term "TTI" can refer to any time period during which the physical channel can be encoded and interleaved for transmission (e.g., during the TTI). The physical channel can be decoded by the receiver during the same time period (T0) during which the physical channel is encoded. TTI can also be interchangeably referred to as short TTI (sTTI), transmission time, time slot, subslot, mini-slot, short subframe (SSF), mini-subframe, etc.

[0081] In some embodiments, the transmitter (e.g., a network node) and receiver (e.g., a WD) may have a common, predetermined understanding of one or more rules for determining which resources should be allocated for transmission and / or reception on one or more physical channels. In some embodiments, such rules may be referred to as “mapping.” In other embodiments, the term “mapping” may have other meanings.

[0082] Unless otherwise specified, the term "channel" can refer to a logical, transport, or physical channel. A channel may include and / or be arranged on one or more carriers, such as multiple subcarriers. A channel carrying and / or used to carry control signaling / control information can be considered a control channel, especially if it is a physical layer channel and / or if it carries control plane information. Similarly, a channel carrying—and / or used to carry—data signaling / user information can be considered a data channel (e.g., PDSCH), especially if it is a physical layer channel and / or if it carries user plane (UP) information. A channel can be defined for a specific communication direction, or for two complementary communication directions (e.g., UL and DL, or sidelinks in both directions), in which case it can be considered to have two component channels, one component channel in each direction.

[0083] Furthermore, although the term “cell” is used in this article, it should be understood that (especially in the context of 5G / NR) a beam can be used instead of a cell, and in this way, the concepts described in this article apply equally to both cells and beams.

[0084] As briefly mentioned above, beam management is supported only on PCells and PSCells, while for NR Rel-16, beam management is considered to be supported in SCells. Some SCells may only support DL reception of the channel / signal, but others may support both DL reception and UL transmission. This variation in SCell configuration and / or capabilities can cause various problems, challenges, and / or difficulties for beam management. This will be discussed in more detail following the following description of the NR network architecture and radio interface.

[0085] Figure 3 This document describes a high-level view of the 5G network architecture, consisting of the Next-Generation RAN (NG-RAN) 399 and the 5G Core (5GC) 398. The NG-RAN 399 may include a group of gNodeBs (gNBs) connected to the 5GC via one or more NG interfaces, such as gNBs 300 and 350 connected via interfaces 302 and 352, respectively. Furthermore, gNBs may be connected to each other via one or more Xn interfaces, such as Xn interface 340 between gNBs 300 and 350. Regarding the NR interface to the UE, each gNB may support Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Division Duplex (TDD), or a combination thereof.

[0086] NG-RAN 399 is layered into the Radio Network Layer (RNL) and the Transport Network Layer (TNL). The NG-RAN architecture (i.e., NG-RAN logical nodes and the interfaces between them) is defined as part of the RNL. For each NG-RAN interface (NG, Xn, F1), the associated TNL protocols and functionalities are specified. The TNL provides services for user plane transport and signaling transport. In some exemplary configurations, each gNB is connected to all 5GC nodes within the “AMF area” defined in 3GPP TS 23.501. NDS / IP should be applied if security protection for CP and UP data on the TNL of the NG-RAN interface is supported.

[0087] Figure 3 The NG RAN logical nodes shown include a central (or centralized) unit (CU or gNB-CU) and one or more distributed (or decentralized) units (DU or gNB-DU). For example, gNB 300 includes gNB-CU 310 and gNB-DU 320 and 330. The CU is a logical node that hosts higher-layer protocols and performs various gNB functions, such as controlling the operation of the DU. Each DU is a logical node that hosts lower-layer protocols and may include various subsets of gNB functions depending on the functional breakdown. In this way, each of the CU and DU may include various circuitry required to perform its respective functions, including processing circuitry, transceiver circuitry (e.g., for communication), and power supply circuitry.

[0088] gNB-CU communicates through the corresponding F1 logic interface (such as, Figure 3 Interfaces 322 and 332 shown are connected to the gNB-DU. The gNB-CU and the connected gNB-DU are only visible to other gNBs and the 5GC acting as a gNB. In other words, the F1 interface is not visible outside the gNB-CU.

[0089] Figure 4Another high-level view of an exemplary 5G network architecture including NG-RAN 499 and 5GC 498 is shown. As illustrated, NG-RAN 499 may include gNB 410 (e.g., 410a, b) and ng-eNB 420 (e.g., 420a, b) interconnected with each other via corresponding Xn interfaces. The gNBs and ng-eNBs are also connected to 5GC 498 via NG interfaces, and more specifically, to Access and Mobility Management Functions (AMF, e.g., AMF 430a, b) via corresponding NG-C interfaces, and to User Plane Functions (UPF, e.g., UPF 440a, b) via corresponding NG-U interfaces. Furthermore, AMF 430a, b can communicate with one or more Policy Control Functions (PCF, e.g., PCF 450a, b) and Network Exposure Functions (NEF, e.g., NEF 460a, b).

[0090] Each gNB 410 in the gNB 410 can support NR radio interfaces including Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Division Duplex (TDD), or combinations thereof. In contrast, each ng-eNB 420 in the ng-eNB 420 can support an LTE radio interface, but unlike conventional LTE eNBs (such as...), it does not support LTE radio interfaces. Figure 1 As shown in the diagram, it connects to the 5GC via the NG interface. Each of the gNB and ng-eNB can serve a geographic coverage area comprising one or more cells, including... Figure 4 The examples shown are cells 411a-b and 421a-b. As mentioned above, gNBs and ng-eNBs can also use various directional beams to provide coverage in their respective cells. Depending on the specific cell in which it is located, the UE 405 can communicate with the gNB or ng-eNB serving that specific cell via either the NR or LTE radio interface.

[0091] Figure 5 An exemplary frequency domain configuration for an NR UE is shown. In Rel-15 NR, a UE can be configured with up to four carrier bandwidth portions (BWPs) in the DL carrier bandwidth, where a single DL BWP is active at a given time. A UE can be configured with up to four BWPs in the UL carrier bandwidth, where a single UL BWP is active at a given time. If the UE is configured with supplemental UL, the UE can be configured with up to four additional BWPs in the supplemental UL carrier bandwidth, where a single supplemental UL BWP is active at a given time.

[0092] Common RBs (CRBs) are numbered from 0 to the end of the carrier bandwidth. Each BWP configured for a UE has a common reference CRB0, such that the configured BWP can start with a CRB greater than zero. CRB0 can be identified by one of the following parameters provided by the network, as further defined in Section 4.4 of 3GPP TS 38.211:

[0093] PRB-index-DL-common is used for DL ​​in the primary cell (PCell, such as PCell or PSCell);

[0094] PRB-index-UL-common for UL in PCell;

[0095] PRB-index-DL-Dedicated for DL ​​in secondary cells (SCell);

[0096] PRB-index-UL-Dedicated for UL in SCell; and

[0097] Used to supplement UL's PRB-index-SUL-common.

[0098] In this way, a UE can be configured with a narrow BWP (e.g., 10 MHz) and a wide BWP (e.g., 100 MHz), each starting at a specific CRB, but at a given point in time, only one BWP can be active for the UE. Within a BWP, values ​​are defined in the frequency domain and range from 0 to... The PRB is numbered, where i is the index of a specific BWP for a carrier. For example, as... Figure 3 As shown, BWP0 includes PRB 0 to N1, BWP1 includes PRB 0 to N2, and BWP2 includes PRB 0 to N3.

[0099] NR supports various SCS values kHz, where µ∈(0,1,2,3,4) is called the "parameter set". The parameter set µ = 0 (i.e., ∆f=15kHz) provides the basic (or reference) SCS also used in LTE. Symbol duration, cyclic prefix (CP) duration, and slot duration are inversely related to the SCS or parameter set. For example, for ∆f=15kHz, there is one (1 ms) slot per subframe, for ∆f=30kHz, there are two 0.5 ms slots per subframe, and so on. Furthermore, according to 2 µ• 50 MHz, maximum carrier bandwidth is directly related to the parameter set. Table 1 below summarizes the currently supported NR parameter sets and associated parameters. Different DL and UL parameter sets can be configured for the network.

[0100] Table 1

[0101]

[0102] Figure 6 An exemplary time-frequency resource grid for NR slots within the carrier bandwidth is shown. For example... Figure 6 As shown, a resource block (RB) consists of a group of 12 adjacent OFDM subcarriers, lasting for 14 symbol slots. Similar to LTE, a resource element (RE) consists of one subcarrier within a slot. An NR slot may include 14 OFDM symbols used for the normal cyclic prefix (e.g., as shown in the diagram). Figure 6 (as shown in the image) and 12 symbols used to extend the cyclic prefix.

[0103] Figure 7A An exemplary NR slot configuration comprising 14 symbols is shown, where the slot and symbol durations are denoted as T. s and T symb In addition, NR includes Class B scheduling, also known as “mini-slots.” These are shorter than slots, typically ranging from one symbol to one fewer symbol than the number of symbols in a slot (e.g., 13 or 11), and can begin at any symbol within a slot. Mini-slots can be used if the transmission duration of a slot is too long and / or the start of the next slot (slot alignment) occurs too late. Applications of mini-slots include unlicensed spectrum and delay-critical transmissions (e.g., URLLC). However, mini-slots are not service-specific and can also be used for eMBB or other services.

[0104] Figure 7B Another exemplary NR slot structure comprising 14 symbols is shown. In this arrangement, the PDCCH is confined to a region called the Control Resource Set (CORESET), containing a specific number of symbols and a specific number of subcarriers. Figure 7B In the exemplary configuration shown, the first two symbols contain the PDCCH, and each of the remaining 12 symbols contains the Physical Data Channel (PDCH), i.e., either the PDSCH or the PUSCH. However, depending on the specific CORESET configuration, the first two time slots may also carry the PDSCH or other information as needed.

[0105] Similar to LTE, NR data scheduling can be performed dynamically, for example, on a per-slot basis. In each slot, the base station (e.g., gNB) transmits downlink control information (DCI) via PDCCH, indicating which UE is scheduled to receive data in that slot and which RBs will carry that data. The UE first detects and decodes the DCI, and if the DCI includes DL scheduling information for the UE, it receives the corresponding PDSCH based on the DL scheduling information. DCI formats 1_0 and 1_1 are used to communicate PDSCH scheduling.

[0106] Similarly, the DCI on the PDCCH may include UL permission, which indicates which UE is scheduled to transmit data on the PUCCH in that time slot, and which RBs will carry that data. The UE first detects and decodes the DCI, and if the DCI includes uplink permission for the UE, it transmits the corresponding PUSCH on the resource indicated by the UL permission. DCI formats 0_0 and 0_1 are used to convey UL permission for the PUSCH, while other DCI formats (2_0, 2_1, 2_2, and 2_3) are used for other purposes, including the transmission of time slot format information, resource reservation, transmission power control information, etc.

[0107] In addition to dynamic scheduling, NR also supports semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) in DL. In this approach, the network configures the periodicity of PDSCH transmissions via RRC, and then controls the start and stop of transmissions via DCI in the PDCCH. One advantage of this technique is the reduction in control signaling overhead on the PDCCH. NR also supports a similar feature on UL called Configuration Grant (CG).

[0108] As briefly mentioned above, beam management is used to maintain beam connectivity between the network and the UE for transmission and reception. At a high level, beam management includes processes for beam establishment, beam failure recovery, and beam indication.

[0109] More specifically, beamforming involves the UE, which selects the optimal (e.g., strongest) beam when it connects to the network. For easy beam identification, the gNB transmits a different SSB and / or CSI-RS for each beam. Beamforming typically occurs concurrently with the UE's initial cell search. During the initial cell search, the UE searches for the strongest SSB block and identifies its position in the time domain, corresponding to the beam ID. This operation can also be referred to as "beam search." The UE then attempts to connect to the network using this beam. Simultaneously with the UE's network connection, the UE measures the DL link quality of the beam being used. If the link quality level falls below a threshold, the UE detects a beam failure and initiates a beam recovery process.

[0110] In NR, Beam Failure Recovery (BFR) is used to enable rapid recovery from beam failures. Beam failures can occur for various reasons, such as sudden blockage of DL beams or inefficient beam management processes. The BFR process consists of several steps. In the first step, a beam failure is detected in L1 (i.e., PHY) when the BLER of the (hypothetical) PDCCH exceeds a threshold for a certain period of time. This step is also known as Beam Failure Detection (BFD). In the second step, a new candidate beam is identified by measuring the beam identifier RS ​​(such as CSI-RS or SSB), which is higher than the threshold of L1-RSRP with respect to the measured RS. This step is also known as Candidate Beam Detection (CBD).

[0111] In NR, the BFR procedure for the MAC entity can be configured by RRC. Beam failure is detected by counting beam failure instances from lower layers to the MAC entity. In the third step, L2 (e.g., MAC) is assigned a set of candidate beams, and BFR is triggered, which initiates a random access procedure. Typically, this triggers contention-free random access (CFRA), where the UE transmits a dedicated preamble on PRACH resources dedicated to BFR, indicating which beam to select. These dedicated PRACH resources are not dedicated to any particular UE, but are shared by all UEs that have completed CFRA for BFR, similar to PRACH resources dedicated to different SSBs for initial access.

[0112] If the UE cannot find a candidate beam within a specific time, a cell search procedure is triggered on the PCell / PSCell. This specific time can be configured by the network via a beamFailureRecoveryTimer (e.g., 100ms). If the network does not configure it, it is specified in 3GPP TS 38.133 (V16.2.0) according to the following table, depending on the frequency range (FR1, FR2) and RS type (SSB, CSI-RS) used. In these tables, P is a scaling factor based on scheduling constraints (P≥1.0), N is related to the UE receiver beam switching factor (e.g., N=8), and M... CBD It is the number of CSI-RS samples in the time domain (e.g., M). CBD =3).

[0113] Table 2: Evaluation period T of FR1 Evaluate_CBD_SSB

[0114]

[0115] Table 3: Evaluation period T for FR2 Evaluate_CBD_SSB

[0116]

[0117] Table 4: Evaluation period T of FR1 Evaluate_CBD_CSI-RS

[0118]

[0119] Table 5: Evaluation period T for FR2 Evaluate_CBD_CSI-RS

[0120]

[0121] After the UE has detected a new beam in the SCell, the UE first sends a Scheduling Request (SR) for the SCell BFR on the PUCCH in the PCell, as configured by the network. After the network receives the SR for the SCell BFR, it sends a UL grant to the UE. After receiving the UL grant, the UE sends an SCell BFR MAC CE to notify the network of the determined beam (i.e., SSB or CSI-RS). If the UE cannot find a candidate beam within the configured time limit (i.e., beamFailureRecoveryTimer, e.g., 100ms), the UE also sends an SR on the PUCCH in the PCell and then sends "Beam Not Found" in the SCell BFR MAC CE.

[0122] In some configurations, the SCell may only support DL reception for the UE on the channel / signal, while in other configurations, the SCell may support both DL reception and UL transmission for the UE. However, depending on where the CBD procedure is performed, the UE may need to transmit in the UL on the SCell after the candidate beam detection procedure is completed. For the first type of configuration (where the UE does not have UL support in the SCell), the UE behavior for transmitting in the UL is undefined and ambiguous. Depending on how various implementations address this ambiguity, various undesirable effects may exist for the UE and the network, such as very long process delays, unnecessary power consumption, unwanted interference in the network, and a lack of coordination.

[0123] The embodiments of this disclosure address these and other challenges, problems, and / or difficulties in beam failure recovery in the SCell by ensuring a maximum duration between when the UE detects a beam failure and when the UE finds one or more new beams, and a maximum duration between when the UE detects a beam failure and when the UE determines it cannot find a new beam. Therefore, the ambiguity of UE behavior regarding the BFD procedure on the SCell is reduced, mitigated, and / or eliminated. Furthermore, such embodiments reduce UE power consumption by stopping UE reception of DL signals from the SCell after reporting "no new beam found." Additionally, such embodiments reduce interference to other nodes by suppressing the transmission of any UL signals in the SCell after the UE is unable to detect any suitable beam.

[0124] At higher levels, in some embodiments, the UE transmits a random access (RA) preamble within a time period T, where T = f(T1, T2, D), f is a function of parameters, T1 is the periodicity of the PRACH corresponding to the reported new beam, T2 is the time between beam failure detection and the determination of the new beam, and D is the additional processing time required by the UE. In some cases, T1 can be configured by the network.

[0125] At a higher level, in other embodiments, the UE transmits a scheduling request (SR) on a UL channel (e.g., PUCCH, PUSCH) in a SpCell (e.g., PCell or PSCell) within a time period T, where T = f(T3, T2, D), T3 is the periodicity of the PUCCH SR in the PCell for SCell beam failure recovery, and f, T2, and D are as defined above. In some cases, T3 can be configured by the network.

[0126] In variations of these other embodiments, when it is determined that "no new beam was found in the SCell", the UE performs one or more tasks, such as stopping monitoring the DL signal in the SCell, stopping transmitting the UL signal in the SCell, stopping monitoring and / or transmitting in the SCell when the UE uses separate beams on the SpCell and SCell, operating on the SCell using the PCell beam when a common beam is supported on the PCell and SCell, and so on.

[0127] The embodiments disclosed herein can be applied to standalone (SA), carrier aggregation (CA), and / or multi-connectivity (MuC) scenarios. An example of MuC is dual connectivity (DC) including MCG and SCG served / managed / controlled via PCell and PSCell respectively. Specific examples of DC are NR-DC, EN-DC, NE-DC, etc. For example, a UE may be configured with a PCell in SA, NR-DC, or NE-DC, and with a PSCell in NR-DC and EN-DC. In these scenarios, the network node (e.g., via RRC signaling) configures a candidate beam reference signal list for the UE, which includes one or more SSBIDs and / or one or more CSI-RS resource IDs. The network node also configures thresholds for determining one or more candidate beams. Examples of thresholds include rsrp-ThresholdSSB or rsrp-ThresholdSSBBFR. The network can also configure a specific value (e.g., 100ms) for a timer (e.g., beamFailureRecoveryTimer), which the UE uses to start the timer when the beam failure recovery process is initiated.

[0128] In this scenario, the network also allocates PRACH resources for each candidate beam reference signal (RS) (e.g., SSB, CSI-RS), and these resources are scheduled periodically, for example, every radio frame (10ms). Each candidate beam RS can be configured with dedicated PRACH resources, or some candidate beam reference signals can share PRACH resources. Once the UE begins communicating with its SpCell (e.g., PCell or PSCell), the UE monitors: the DL link quality of the beam reference resources. If the measured DL link quality is below a threshold, the UE PHY indicates a beam failure to a higher layer (e.g., MAC). If the number indicated by the PHY exceeds the threshold configured by the network, the UE declares "beam failure detection" and initiates a candidate beam detection procedure for beam failure recovery in the SpCell.

[0129] The following describes in more detail an embodiment of the UE procedure for beam failure recovery in SpCell (e.g., PCCell or PSCell). Also by Figures 8 to 9 These embodiments are described. Figures 8 to 9 These are signal flow diagrams corresponding to when the UE (810) finds a candidate beam (e.g., provided by gNB 820) after beam failure detection in SpCell and when the UE does not find a candidate beam.

[0130] After the UE detects a beam failure in SpCell (e.g., PCCell or PSCell) in Operation 1, the UE initiates a candidate beam detection procedure in Operation 2. During this procedure, the UE calculates the L1-RSRP for each candidate beam resource (e.g., SSB and / or CSI-RS) configured by the network node. If the calculated L1-RSRP value exceeds a threshold configured by the network node, the UE adds the corresponding beam resource to the candidate beam list.

[0131] After completing Operation 2, if one or more candidate beams exist in the candidate beam list, the UE first determines which candidate beam to report to the network node. For example, the UE may select the beam with the highest measured signal strength (e.g., maximum L1-RSRP) among all candidate beams. After determining the beam, the UE then reports the new beam in Operation 4. In Operation 4a, the UE uses RA random access resources to transmit an RA preamble to the SpCell on the PRACH corresponding to the reported beam. In Operation 4b, the network responds with a Random Access Response (RAR) on the PDCCH or PDSCH.

[0132] If the UE cannot find any candidate beam with an SSB L1-RSRP measurement exceeding a threshold within the maximum allowed time period for detecting candidate beams, the UE proceeds to operation 3. The maximum allowed time may be based on a beamFailureRecoveryTimer, if configured by the network. In another example, the maximum allowed time may correspond to a fixed value, such as T for the SS / PBCH. Evaluate_CBD_SSB Or T for CSI-RS Evaluate_CBD_CSI-RS As specified in the table listed above.

[0133] In operation 3, the UE performs an initial cell search on the SpCell, where the UE searches for the strongest SSB (or equivalently, the strongest beam) and identifies the location corresponding to the beam ID in the time domain. In operation 4, the UE reports this new beam to the network. More specifically, in operation 4a, the UE transmits a random access preamble to the SpCell (i.e., PCCell or PSCell) on the PRACH corresponding to the selected beam-based contention-based RA resource. The remainder of the contention-based RA procedure is performed in operations 4b to 4d.

[0134] In some embodiments, the UE transmits a RA preamble (operation 4a) within a time period T following beam failure detection (operation 1), where T = f(T1, T2, D), and T1 is the periodicity of the PRACH corresponding to the new beam being reported, which can be configured by the network. Furthermore, T2 is the time between beam failure detection (operation 1) and the determination of the new beam.

[0135] If the UE finds a new beam, T2 = T3, where T3 corresponds to the period used for candidate beam detection and new beam determination. An example of T2 is the timer value beamFailureRecoveryTimer (at configuration). Since the timer may not expire, this effectively means T3 ≤ T2. Another example of T2 is T for SS / PBCH. Evaluate_CBD_SSB Or T for CSI-RS Evaluate_CBD_CSI-RS As specified in 3GPP TS 38.133 (V16.3.0) and shown in the table listed above.

[0136] If the UE cannot find a new beam within T3, then T2 = T3 + T4, where T3 corresponds to the period for candidate beam detection and new beam determination (as described above), and T4 is the period for determining the SSB for the contention-based RA procedure.

[0137] In either case, D is the additional processing time required by the UE (e.g., in milliseconds, time slots, etc.). D can be zero or a positive value. For example, D may depend on the UE's ability to operate using a separate or common beam for the SpCell and the cell performing beam management. In another example, D may depend on the frequencies of the SpCell and the cell performing beam management. If the interval between the two frequencies is greater than a threshold, D can be greater than 0. Otherwise, if the interval is less than the threshold, D can be 0.

[0138] Some examples of f(T1, T2, D) include f(T1, T2, D) = T1 x Ceil[(T2+D) / T1], or f(T1, T2, D) = T1 x {Ceil(T2 / T1) + Ceil(D / T1)}, where Ceil() gives the next largest integer of the operand.

[0139] In another scenario, the network configures at least one SCell along with a PCell / PSCell. In this scenario, the network also configures a candidate beam reference signal list, determines thresholds for one or more candidate beams, and includes optional timers (e.g., beamFailureRecoveryTimer) for the SCell and PCell / PSCell. In this scenario, the network allocates PUCCH resources for transmitting scheduling requests (SRs) for beam failure recovery (BFR) on the SCell. PUCCH resources for the SCell BFR SR are scheduled periodically (e.g., every 10 time slots) in the PCell, SpCell, and SCell. Similar to beam measurement in the PCell / PSCell, once the UE begins communicating with the SCell, the UE monitors the DL link quality of the monitored beam reference resources in the SCell. If the measured DL link quality is below a threshold, the UE PHY indicates a beam failure to a higher layer (e.g., MAC). If the number of PHY indications exceeds the threshold configured by the network, the UE declares "beam failure detection" and initiates a candidate beam detection procedure for beam failure recovery in the SCell.

[0140] The following describes in more detail an embodiment of the UE procedure for beam failure recovery in SCell. Also by Figures 10 to 11 These embodiments are described. Figures 10 to 11 These are signal flowcharts corresponding to the cases when the UE (1010) finds a candidate beam after beam failure detection in the SCell and when the UE does not find a candidate beam.

[0141] After the UE detects a beam failure in the SCell in Operation 1, the UE initiates a candidate beam detection procedure in Operation 2. During this procedure, the UE calculates the L1-RSRP for each candidate beam resource (e.g., SSB and / or CSI-RS) configured by the network node. If the calculated L1-RSRP value exceeds a threshold configured by the network node, the UE adds the corresponding beam resource to the candidate beam list.

[0142] After completing step 2, if one or more candidate beams exist in the candidate beam list, the UE first determines which candidate beam to report to the network node. For example, the UE may select the beam with the highest signal strength (e.g., maximum L1-RSRP) among all candidate beams. After determining the beam, the UE then reports the new beam in step 3.

[0143] If the UE cannot find any candidate beam with an SSB L1-RSRP measurement exceeding the threshold within the maximum allowed time period for detecting candidate beams, the UE also moves to operation 3. The maximum allowed time can be based on the beamFailureRecoveryTimer timer, if configured by the network. In another example, the maximum allowed time can correspond to a fixed value, such as T for SS / PBCH. Evaluate_CBD_SSB Or T for CSI-RS Evaluate_CBD_CSI-RS As specified in the table listed above. In this scenario, when moving to operation 3, the UE indicates "No new beam found".

[0144] Operation 3 involves the UE's new beam report. Regardless of whether the UE found a new beam in Operation 2, in Operation 3a, the UE transmits the SR on the PUCCH. The PUCCH can be configured by the network in the UE's PCell, PSCell, or SCell. After the UE transmits the SR on the PUCCH in a specific cell, the UE waits for UL approval from the network node. After the UE receives UL approval (Operation 3b), in Operation 3c, if the UE has found a new beam from the candidate beam list, the UE transmits the new beam information using the SCell BFR MAC CE. The new beam information may include the index of the SCell where the new beam was found, and the SSB index or CSI-RS index associated with the new beam. On the other hand, if the UE did not find a new beam in Operation 2, the UE transmits a "No new beam found" message to the PCell using the SCell BFR MAC CE.

[0145] In some embodiments, during a time period T following beam failure detection (Operation 1), the UE transmits SR (Operation 4a) on the UL channel (e.g., PUCCH or PUSCH) in the configured cell, where T = f(T1, T2, D). Furthermore, T1 is the periodicity of the PUCCH used for SR transmission for SCell beam failure recovery, which can be configured by the network. Additionally, T2 is the time between beam failure detection (Operation 1) and the determination of a new beam or the inability to find a new beam.

[0146] In embodiments where the timer value beamFailureRecoveryTimer is configured, T2 can be a value configured for the timer. Another example of T2 is T for SS / PBCH. Evaluate_CBD_SSB Or T for CSI-RS Evaluate_CBD_CSI-RS As specified in 3GPP TS 38.133 (V16.3.0) and shown in the table listed above.

[0147] In addition, D represents the additional processing time required by the UE (e.g., in milliseconds, time slots, etc.). D can be zero or a positive value. For example, D may depend on the UE's ability to operate using a separate or common beam for the SpCell and the cell performing beam management. In another example, D may depend on the frequencies of the SpCell and the cell performing beam management. If the interval between the two frequencies is greater than a threshold, D can be greater than 0. Otherwise, if the interval is less than the threshold, D can be 0.

[0148] Some examples of the function f(T1, T2, D) include:

[0149] f(T1, T2, D) = T1 x Ceil [(T2+D) / T1], and

[0150] f(T1, T2, D) = T1 x {Ceil(T2 / T1) + Ceil(D / T1)},

[0151] Ceil() gives the next largest integer of the operand.

[0152] If the UE reports "No new beam found" in the SCell BFR MAC CE (or other similar information) sent in Operation 3c, the UE then proceeds to Operation 4, in which the UE performs one or more operations conditional upon determining and reporting "No new beam found". When executed, such operations are performed for a duration (T0), which may be predefined (e.g., in the 3GPP specification) or configured by the network (e.g., via RRC signaling). Exemplary conditional operations include:

[0153] Suppressing the monitoring of certain DL signals or channels on a SCell, whereby the UE reports "no new beam found" to the network via a SpCell (e.g., PCell, PSCell), thereby reducing UE power consumption. For example, the UE may stop monitoring the PDCCH and / or PDSCH on the SCell.

[0154] Suppress all DL signals or channels on the monitored SCell, and for that SCell, the UE reports "No new beam found" to the network (e.g., turn off the receiver associated with the SCell). This can further reduce UE power consumption.

[0155] Suppressing the transmission of certain UL signals or channels on the SCell, for which the UE reports "no new beam found" to the network, thereby reducing UL interference and UE power consumption.

[0156] Suppressing the transmission of all UL signals or channels on the SCell, for the SCell, the UE reports "no new beam found" to the network (e.g., shutting down the transmitter associated with the SCell), which further reduces UL interference and UE power consumption.

[0157] The UE can also perform any of these conditional operations based on the relationship between the SpCell and SCell for which the UE reported "no new beam found". For example, if the UE can operate independent beams on the SpCell and SCell, the UE performs any of these operations. "Independent beams" may be necessary when two beams need to operate on frequencies that are spaced apart by more than a threshold. A more specific example is when the SpCell and SCell operate on relatively distant frequency bands, such as 28 GHz and 39 GHz (or vice versa).

[0158] As another example, if the UE cannot operate independent beams on the SpCell and SCell, such as when the UE uses a common beam for SpCell and SCell operation, the UE can suppress any conditional operation performed on these conditional operations. For example, a common beam can be used when the SpCell and SCell operate on frequencies spaced less than a threshold. A concrete example is when the SpCell and SCell operate in relatively close frequency bands, such as 24 GHz and 28 GHz (or vice versa).

[0159] For reference Figures 12 to 13 To further illustrate these embodiments, Figures 12 to 13 Exemplary methods performed by the UE and network node are described separately. In other words, refer to the following... Figures 12 to 13 The various features of the described operations correspond to the various embodiments described above. They can be used collaboratively. Figures 12 to 13 The exemplary methods shown are intended to provide the various exemplary benefits and / or advantages described herein. Although Figures 12 to 13 The specific boxes are shown in a particular order, but the operations of the exemplary method can be performed in a different order than shown, and the operations of the exemplary method can be combined and / or divided into boxes with different functionalities than those shown. Optional boxes or operations are indicated by dashed lines.

[0160] In particular, Figure 12A flowchart illustrating an exemplary method (e.g., process) for a UE configured to communicate via multiple cells in a wireless network, according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, is shown. The exemplary method can be performed by a UE (e.g., a wireless device, IoT device, modem, etc., or components thereof), such as those described herein with reference to other accompanying drawings.

[0161] The exemplary method may include the operation of block 1210, wherein the UE can detect a failure of a first beam associated with a first cell among a plurality of cells. The exemplary method may also include the operation of block 1230, wherein the UE can determine the availability of other beams associated with the first cell besides the first beam. The exemplary method may also include the operation of block 1280, wherein the UE can transmit a message to one of the plurality of cells indicating the availability or unavailability of other beams associated with the first cell. After detecting a failure of the first beam, the message is transmitted for a first duration. The first duration may be based on a maximum time for determining the availability of other beams and on the periodicity of resources allocated for beam failure reporting in the cell where the message is transmitted.

[0162] In some embodiments, the first duration may be further based on:

[0163] UE capabilities to operate using independent or common beams in the first and other cells of multiple cells; and

[0164] The carrier frequency difference between the first cell and the other cells in a multi-cell network.

[0165] In some embodiments, determining availability or unavailability in block 1230 may include the operations of sub-blocks 1231-1233. In sub-block 1231, the UE may measure the signal strength of the corresponding other beams. In sub-block 1232, the UE may determine availability based on the measured signal strength of at least one of the other beams being higher than a predetermined threshold (e.g., which may be configured by the wireless network). Alternatively, in sub-block 1233, the UE may determine unavailability based on the corresponding measured signal strength of all other beams being lower than a predetermined threshold.

[0166] In some embodiments, the exemplary method may further include the operation of block 1220, wherein the UE may start a timer having a maximum duration for determining the availability of other beams upon detecting a failure of the first beam. In such an embodiment, determining availability or unavailability in block 1230 may include the operation of block 1234, wherein the UE may determine unavailability based on the expiration of the timer before determining the availability of other beams.

[0167] In some embodiments, the exemplary method may further include the operation of block 1240, wherein the UE may select a second beam from the other beams based on the signal strength measured by the UE, based on determining the availability of the other beams. In such an embodiment, the message transmitted in block 1280 may indicate the second beam.

[0168] In some of these embodiments, the first cell is a PCell or PSCell, and within the first cell, messages are transmitted as random access (RA) preambles using random access RA resources corresponding to the selected second beam. Examples of such embodiments are... Figure 8 As shown in the image.

[0169] In some embodiments of these examples, the exemplary method may also include the operation of block 1250, wherein the UE may perform a cell reselection process to select a third beam among the other beams based on determining the unavailability of other beams (e.g., in block 1230). In such an embodiment, the message may be transmitted as an RA preamble using RA resources corresponding to the third beam in the first cell.

[0170] In some of these embodiments, the first duration is based on the periodicity of the RA resource corresponding to the second beam or the third beam, i.e., depending on whether availability or unavailability is determined (e.g., in box 1230).

[0171] In other embodiments, the first cell is an SCell, and the message is transmitted as a MAC message via cells other than the first cell. Specifically, the other cells are PCells or PSCells. Figures 10 to 11 An example of such an embodiment is shown in the figure.

[0172] In some embodiments of these examples, the exemplary method may further include the operations of blocks 1260 to 1270. In block 1260, the UE may use resources allocated for beam failure reporting to transmit a scheduling request (SR). In block 1270, in response to the SR, the UE may receive permission for UL resources to transmit a message (e.g., in block 1280). In such embodiments, the first duration is based on the periodicity of resources allocated for the SR associated with beam failure recovery.

[0173] In some embodiments of these embodiments, the exemplary method may further include the operation of block 1290, wherein the UE may suppress one or more operations concerning the SCell based on determining the unavailability of other beams (e.g., in block 1230) and after sending a message (e.g., in block 1280) to reduce UE power consumption and / or UL interference. In some embodiments, the UE may suppress (i.e., not perform) one or more operations for a second duration configured by the wireless network. In various embodiments, one or more operations may include any of the following operations:

[0174] Monitor at least one DL signal or channel associated with the first cell;

[0175] Monitor all DL signals or channels associated with the first cell;

[0176] Transmit at least one UL signal or channel associated with the first cell; and

[0177] Transmit all UL signals or channels associated with the first cell.

[0178] also, Figure 13 A flowchart illustrating an exemplary method (e.g., procedure) for communicating with a UE via beams associated with multiple cells, according to various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, is shown. The exemplary method may be performed by one or more network nodes (e.g., base stations, eNBs, gNBs, en-gNBs, etc., or components thereof), such as those described elsewhere herein with reference to other accompanying figures. Hereinafter, "network node" refers to any one of the network nodes.

[0179] The exemplary method may include the operation of block 1330, wherein a network node may transmit a first beam associated with a first cell among a plurality of cells. The exemplary method may also include the operation of block 1360, wherein a network node may receive from a UE in one of the plurality of cells a message indicating the availability or unavailability of other beams associated with the first cell besides the first beam. The message may be received for a first duration after the UE detects a failure of the first beam. The first duration may be based on a maximum time for determining the availability of other beams and on the periodicity of resources allocated for beam failure reporting in the cell where the message is received.

[0180] In some embodiments, the first duration may be further based on:

[0181] UE capabilities to operate using independent or common beams in the first and other cells of multiple cells; and

[0182] The carrier frequency difference between the first cell and the other cells in a multi-cell network.

[0183] In some embodiments, the exemplary method may further include the operation of block 1310, wherein the network node may configure one or more of the following for the UE:

[0184] The timer start value corresponds to the maximum time used to determine the availability of other beams after a beam failure is detected; and

[0185] The signal strength threshold used to determine the availability of other beams after a beam failure is detected.

[0186] UE can use the above information regarding Figure 12 The method described uses a timer start value and / or a signal strength threshold.

[0187] In some embodiments, the first cell is a PCell or PSCell. When a message indicates availability, the message indicates the second of a plurality of beams selected by the UE, and in the first cell, the message is received as an RA preamble using the RA resource corresponding to the second beam. Figure 8 An example of such an embodiment is shown in the figure.

[0188] In some of these embodiments, when the message indicates unavailability, the message indicates the third of a plurality of beams selected by the UE, and in the first cell, the message is received as an RA preamble using the RA resource corresponding to the third beam.

[0189] In some of these embodiments, the first duration is based on the periodicity of the RA resource corresponding to the second beam or the third beam, i.e., depending on whether the message indicates availability or unavailability (e.g., in box 1350).

[0190] In other embodiments, the first cell is an SCell, and the message is received as a MAC message via cells other than the first cell. Specifically, the other cells are PCells or PSCells. Figures 10 to 11 An example of such an embodiment is shown in the figure.

[0191] In some embodiments of these examples, the exemplary method may further include the operations of blocks 1340 to 1350. In block 1340, the network node may receive a scheduling request (SR) from the UE in resources allocated for beam failure reporting. In block 1350, the network node may grant permission to the UE to transmit UL resources for message transmission in response to the SR (e.g., in block 1360). In some embodiments of these examples, the first duration is based on the periodicity of resources allocated for the SR associated with beam failure recovery.

[0192] In some embodiments of these examples, when a message (e.g., in box 1360) indicates the availability of other beams, the message also indicates a second beam among a plurality of beams selected by the UE. Figure 10 An example is shown. In other embodiments, the message indicates that no other beam is available. Figure 11 An example is shown in the image.

[0193] In some embodiments, a single network node transmits a first beam (e.g., in block 1320) and receives messages (e.g., in block 1350). In other embodiments, a first network node transmits the first beam, and a second network node receives the messages. For example, SpCell and SCell may be in different network nodes, such as in different frequency bands.

[0194] Although various embodiments have been described above with respect to methods, techniques and / or processes, those skilled in the art will readily understand that such methods, techniques and / or processes can be embodied in various combinations of hardware and software in various systems, communication devices, computing devices, control devices, equipment, non-transitory computer-readable media, computer program products, etc.

[0195] Figure 14 Block diagrams of exemplary wireless apparatus or user equipment (UE) 1400 (hereinafter referred to herein as "UE 1400") according to various embodiments of the present disclosure are shown, including those described above with reference to other figures. For example, UE 1400 can be configured to perform operations corresponding to one or more exemplary methods described herein by executing instructions stored on a computer-readable medium.

[0196] UE 1400 may include a processor 1410 (also referred to as "processing circuitry"), which may be operatively connected via a bus 1470 to a program memory 1420 and / or a data memory 1430, the bus 1470 including a parallel address and data bus, a serial port, or other methods and / or structures known to those skilled in the art. Program memory 1420 may store software code, programs, and / or instructions (in... Figure 14The software code, programs, and / or instructions (uniformly displayed as computer program product 1421) can, when executed by processor 1410, configure and / or facilitate UE 1400 to perform various operations, including operations corresponding to the various exemplary methods described herein. As part of or in addition to such operations, the execution of such instructions can configure and / or facilitate UE 1400 to communicate using one or more wired or wireless communication protocols, including one or more wireless communication protocols standardized by 3GPP, 3GPP2, or IEEE, such as those commonly referred to as 5G / NR, LTE, LTE-A, UMTS, HSPA, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, 1xRTT, CDMA2000, 802.11 WiFi, HDMI, USB, Firewire, etc., or any other current or future protocols that can be used in conjunction with radio transceiver 1440, user interface 1450, and / or control interface 1460.

[0197] As another example, processor 1410 may execute program code stored in program memory 1420, which corresponds to MAC, RLC, PDCP, and RRC layer protocols standardized by 3GPP (e.g., for NR and / or LTE). As yet another example, processor 1410 may execute program code stored in program memory 1420 that, together with radio transceiver 1440, implements corresponding PHY layer protocols, such as Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), and Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA). As yet another example, processor 1410 may execute program code stored in program memory 1420 that, together with radio transceiver 1440, enables device-to-device (D2D) communication with other compatible devices and / or UEs.

[0198] Program memory 1420 may also include software code executed by processor 1410 to control the functionality of UE 1400, including configuring and controlling various components such as radio transceiver 1440, user interface 1450, and / or control interface 1460. Program memory 1420 may also include one or more application programs and / or modules comprising computer-executable instructions embodying any of the exemplary methods described herein. Such software code may be specified or written using any known or future-developed programming language, such as, for example, Java, C++, C, Objective C, HTML, XHTML, machine code, and assembly language, as long as the desired functionality, for example, as defined by the implemented method steps, is preserved. Furthermore, or alternatively, program memory 1420 may include an external storage arrangement (not shown) remote from UE 1400 from which instructions can be downloaded to or removably coupled to program memory 1420 of UE 1400 to enable the execution of such instructions.

[0199] Data memory 1430 may include memory regions for processor 1410 to store variables used in the protocols, configurations, control, and other functions of UE 1400, including operations corresponding to or incorporating the exemplary methods described herein. Furthermore, program memory 1420 and / or data memory 1430 may include non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory), volatile memory (e.g., static or dynamic RAM), or combinations thereof. Additionally, data memory 1430 may include memory slots through which one or more removable memory cards of various formats (e.g., SD cards, Memory Sticks, Compact Flash, etc.) can be inserted and removed.

[0200] Those skilled in the art will recognize that processor 1410 may include multiple individual processors (e.g., a multi-core processor), each of which implements a portion of the aforementioned functionality. In such a case, multiple individual processors may be jointly connected to program memory 1420 and data memory 1430, or individually connected to multiple separate program memories and / or data memories. More generally, those skilled in the art will recognize that various protocols and other functions of UE 1400 can be implemented using many different computer arrangements comprising different combinations of hardware and software, including but not limited to application processors, signal processors, general-purpose processors, multi-core processors, ASICs, fixed and / or programmable digital circuits, analog baseband circuits, radio frequency circuits, software, firmware, and middleware.

[0201] Radio transceiver 1440 may include radio frequency transmitter and / or receiver functionality that facilitates communication between UE 1400 and other devices supporting similar wireless communication standards and / or protocols. In some exemplary embodiments, radio transceiver 1440 includes one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that enable UE 1400 to communicate according to various protocols and / or methods for standardization proposed by 3GPP and / or other standards bodies. For example, such functionality may cooperate with processor 1410 to implement a PHY layer based on OFDM, OFDMA, and / or SC-FDMA technologies, as described herein with reference to other figures.

[0202] In some exemplary embodiments, radio transceiver 1440 includes one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that facilitate communication between UE 1400 and various LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), and / or NR networks according to standards promulgated by 3GPP. In some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, radio transceiver 1440 includes circuitry, firmware, etc., necessary for UE 1400 to also communicate with various NR, NR-U, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-LAA, UMTS, and / or GSM / EDGE networks according to 3GPP standards. In some embodiments, radio transceiver 1440 may include circuitry supporting D2D communication between UE 1400 and other compatible devices.

[0203] In some embodiments, radio transceiver 1440 includes circuitry, firmware, etc., necessary for UE 1400 to communicate with various CDMA2000 networks according to the 3GPP2 standard. In some embodiments, radio transceiver 1440 may be able to communicate using radio technologies operating in unlicensed frequency bands, such as IEEE 802.11 WiFi operating at frequencies in the 2.4, 5.6, and / or 60 GHz regions. In some embodiments, radio transceiver 1440 may include a transceiver capable of wired communication, such as using IEEE 802.3 Ethernet technology. Each embodiment-specific functionality in these embodiments may be coupled to and / or controlled by other circuitry in UE 1400, such as processor 1410 executing program code stored in a combination of data memory 1430 and / or program memory 1420 supported by data memory 1430.

[0204] User interface 1450 may take various forms depending on a specific embodiment of UE 1400 or may not be present in UE 1400 at all. In some embodiments, user interface 1450 may include a microphone, speaker, slide button, pressable button, display, touchscreen display, mechanical or virtual keypad, mechanical or virtual keyboard, and / or any other user interface features commonly found on mobile phones. In other embodiments, UE 1400 may include a tablet computing device including a larger touchscreen display. In such embodiments, as is well known to those skilled in the art, one or more mechanical features of user interface 1450 may be replaced by comparable or functionally equivalent virtual user interface features (e.g., virtual keypad, virtual buttons, etc.) implemented using a touchscreen display. In other embodiments, UE 1400 may be a digital computing device such as a laptop computer, desktop computer, workstation, etc., which includes a mechanical keyboard that may be integrated, separate, or detachable depending on a particular exemplary embodiment. Such a digital computing device may also include a touchscreen display. Many exemplary embodiments of the UE1400 with a touchscreen display are capable of receiving user input, such as input related to the exemplary methods described herein or input otherwise known to a person skilled in the art.

[0205] In some embodiments, UE 1400 may include an orientation sensor that can be used in various ways by features and functions of UE 1400. For example, UE 1400 may use the output of the orientation sensor to determine when a user has changed the physical orientation of the touchscreen display of UE 1400. An indication signal from the orientation sensor may be available to any application running on UE 1400 such that when the indication signal indicates a change of approximately 90 degrees in the physical orientation of the device, the application may automatically change the orientation of the screen display (e.g., from portrait to landscape). In this exemplary manner, the application can maintain the screen display in a user-readable manner regardless of the physical orientation of the device. Furthermore, the output of the orientation sensor may be used in conjunction with various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure.

[0206] Depending on the specific exemplary embodiment of UE 1400 and the specific interface requirements of other devices with which UE 1400 intends to communicate and / or control, the control interface 1460 of UE 1400 can take various forms. For example, the control interface 1460 may include an RS-232 interface, a USB interface, an HDMI interface, a Bluetooth interface, an IEEE (“FireWire”) interface, and so on. 2Interfaces such as Type-C and PCMCIA are available. In some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, the control interface 1460 may include an IEEE 802.3 Ethernet interface as described above. In some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, the control interface 1460 may include analog interface circuitry, including, for example, one or more digital-to-analog converters (DACs) and / or analog-to-digital converters (ADCs).

[0207] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the list of features, interfaces, and radio frequency communication standards above is merely exemplary and not limited to the scope of this disclosure. In other words, UE 1400 may include more than Figure 14 Further functionalities shown include, for example, a video and / or still image camera, a microphone, a media player, and / or a recorder. Additionally, the radio transceiver 1440 may include circuitry necessary for communication using additional radio frequency communication standards, including Bluetooth, GPS, and / or other standards. Furthermore, the processor 1410 may execute software code stored in the program memory 1420 to control such additional functionalities. For example, the direction, velocity, and / or position estimates output from the GPS receiver may be any application that can be executed on the UE 1400, including any program code corresponding to and / or embodying any exemplary embodiments (e.g., method embodiments) described herein.

[0208] Figure 15 A block diagram of an exemplary network node 1500 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, including those described above with reference to other accompanying drawings, is shown. For example, the exemplary network node 1500 can be configured to perform operations corresponding to one or more exemplary methods described herein by executing instructions stored on a computer-readable medium. In some exemplary embodiments, the network node 1500 may include a base station, an eNB, a gNB, or one or more components thereof. For example, the network node 1500 may be configured as a central unit (CU) and one or more distributed units (DUs) according to the NR gNB architecture specified by 3GPP. More generally, the functionality of the network node 1500 can be distributed across various physical devices and / or functional units, modules, etc.

[0209] Network node 1500 may include processor 1510 (also referred to as “processing circuitry”), which is operatively connected to program memory 1520 and data memory 1530 via bus 1570, which may include parallel address and data bus, serial port or other methods and / or structures known to those skilled in the art.

[0210] Program memory 1520 can store software code, programs and / or instructions (in Figure 15The code, program, and / or instructions (uniformly displayed as computer program product 1521) can, when executed by processor 1510, configure and / or facilitate network node 1500 to perform various operations, including operations corresponding to the various exemplary methods described herein. As part of and / or in addition to such operations, program memory 1520 may also include software code executed by processor 1510, which can configure and / or facilitate network node 1500 to communicate with one or more other UEs or network nodes using other protocols or protocol layers, such as one or more of the PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP, and RRC layer protocols standardized by 3GPP for LTE, LTE-A, and / or NR, or any other higher-layer (e.g., NAS) protocols used in conjunction with radio network interface 1540 and / or core network interface 1550. By way of example, core network interface 1550 may include an S1 or NG interface, and radio network interface 1540 may include a Uu interface, as standardized by 3GPP. The program memory 1520 may also include software code executed by the processor 1510 to control the functions of the network node 1500, including configuring and controlling various components such as the radio network interface 1540 and the core network interface 1550.

[0211] Data memory 1530 may include a memory area for processor 1510 to store variables used in the protocols, configurations, control, and other functions of network node 1500. In this way, program memory 1520 and data memory 1530 may include non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory, hard disk, etc.), volatile memory (e.g., static or dynamic RAM), network-based (e.g., “cloud”) storage devices, or combinations thereof. Those skilled in the art will recognize that processor 1510 may include multiple individual processors (not shown), each of which implements a portion of the aforementioned functionality. In such cases, multiple individual processors may be connected together to program memory 1520 and data memory 1530, or individually to multiple individual program memories and / or data memories. More generally, those skilled in the art will recognize that various protocols and other functions of network node 1500 can be implemented using many different combinations of hardware and software, including but not limited to application processors, signal processors, general-purpose processors, multi-core processors, ASICs, fixed digital circuits, programmable digital circuits, analog baseband circuits, radio frequency circuits, software, firmware, and middleware.

[0212] Radio network interface 1540 may include transmitters, receivers, signal processors, ASICs, antennas, beamforming units, and other circuitry enabling network node 1500 to communicate with other devices, such as, in some embodiments, multiple compatible user equipment (UEs). In some embodiments, interface 1540 may also enable network node 1500 to communicate with compatible satellites of satellite communication networks. In some exemplary embodiments, radio network interface 1540 may include various protocols or protocol layers, such as PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP, and / or RRC layer protocols standardized by 3GPP for LTE, LTE-A, LTE-LAA, NR, NR-U, etc.; improvements thereof as described above herein; or any other higher-level protocols used in conjunction with radio network interface 1540. According to further exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, radio network interface 1540 may include a PHY layer based on OFDM, OFDMA, and / or SC-FDMA technologies. In some embodiments, the functionality of such a PHY layer may be provided collaboratively by radio network interface 1540 and processor 1510 (including program code in memory 1520).

[0213] The core network interface 1550 may include transmitters, receivers, and other circuitry enabling the network node 1500 to communicate with other devices in a core network, such as, in some embodiments, a circuit-switched (CS) and / or packet-switched (PS) core network. In some embodiments, the core network interface 1550 may include an S1 interface standardized by 3GPP. In some embodiments, the core network interface 1550 may include an NG interface standardized by 3GPP. In some exemplary embodiments, the core network interface 1550 may include one or more interfaces to one or more AMF, SMF, SGW, MME, SGSN, GGSN, and other functional physical devices found in GERAN, UTRAN, EPC, 5GC, and CDMA2000 core networks known to those skilled in the art. In some embodiments, these one or more interfaces may be multiplexed together on a single physical interface. In some embodiments, the lower layers of the core network interface 1550 may include one or more of Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Internet Protocol over Ethernet (IP), SDH over fiber, T1 / E1 / PDH over copper, microwave radio, or other wired or wireless transmission technologies known to those skilled in the art.

[0214] In some embodiments, network node 1500 may include hardware and / or software that configures and / or facilitates communication between network node 1500 and other network nodes in the RAN, such as other eNBs, gNBs, ng-eNBs, en-gNBs, IAB nodes, etc. Such hardware and / or software may be part of radio network interface 1540 and / or core network interface 1550, or it may be a separate functional unit (not shown). For example, such hardware and / or software may configure and / or facilitate communication between network node 1500 and other RAN nodes via X2 or Xn interfaces, as standardized by 3GPP.

[0215] The OA&M interface 1560 may include transmitters, receivers, and other circuitry that enables the network node 1500 to communicate with external networks, computers, databases, etc., for the purpose of operating, managing, and maintaining the network node 1500 or other network devices operatively connected thereto. The lower layers of the OA&M interface 1560 may include one or more of the following: Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Internet Protocol over Ethernet (IP), SDH over fiber optics, T1 / E1 / PDH over copper, microwave radio, or other wired or wireless transmission technologies known to those skilled in the art. Furthermore, in some embodiments, one or more of the radio network interface 1540, core network interface 1550, and OA&M interface 1560 may be multiplexed together on a single physical interface, as in the examples listed above.

[0216] Figure 16 This is a block diagram of an exemplary communication network according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the communication network being configured to provide over-the-top (OTT) data services between a host computer and a user equipment (UE). UE 1610 can communicate with a radio access network (RAN) 1630 via a radio interface 1620, which may be based on protocols described above, including, for example, LTE, LTE-A, and 5G / NR. UE 1610 may be configured and / or arranged, for example, as shown in the other figures discussed above.

[0217] RAN 1630 may include one or more terrestrial network nodes (e.g., base stations, eNBs, gNBs, controllers, etc.) that can operate in licensed spectrum bands, and one or more network nodes that can operate in unlicensed spectrum (such as the 2.4 GHz band and / or the 5 GHz band) using technologies such as LAA or NR-U. In such cases, network nodes including RAN 1630 can operate collaboratively using both licensed and unlicensed spectrum. In some embodiments, RAN 1630 may include one or more satellites that contain a satellite access network, or be able to communicate with one or more satellites that contain a satellite access network.

[0218] RAN 1630 can further communicate with core network 1640 according to the various protocols and interfaces described above. For example, one or more devices including RAN 1630 (e.g., base stations, eNBs, gNBs, etc.) can communicate with core network 1640 via the core network interface 1650 described above. In some exemplary embodiments, RAN 1630 and core network 1640 can be configured and / or arranged as shown in the other figures discussed above. For example, an eNB including E-UTRAN 1630 can communicate with EPC core network 1640 via the S1 interface. As another example, gNBs and ng-eNBs including NG-RAN 1630 can communicate with 5GC core network 1630 via the NG interface.

[0219] Based on various protocols and interfaces known to those skilled in the art, the core network 1640 can further interface with external packet data networks (in... Figure 16 The UE 1610 communicates via the Internet (shown as Internet 1650). Many other devices and / or networks can also connect to and communicate via the Internet 1650, such as the exemplary host computer 1660. In some exemplary embodiments, the host computer 1660 may use the Internet 1650, core network 1640, and RAN 1630 as intermediaries to communicate with the UE 1610. The host computer 1660 may be a server (e.g., an application server) owned and / or controlled by a service provider. The host computer 1660 may be operated by an OTT service provider or by another entity acting on behalf of that service provider.

[0220] For example, host computer 1660 may use the facilities of core network 1640 and RAN 1630 to provide over-the-top (OTT) packet data service to UE 1610, without knowing the routes of outgoing / incoming communications to / from host computer 1660. Similarly, host computer 1660 may not know the routes of transmissions from host computer to UE, for example, the routes of transmissions via RAN 1630. Figure 16 The exemplary configuration shown is for providing various OTT services, including, for example, streaming (one-way) audio and / or video from the host computer to the UE, interactive (two-way) audio and / or video between the host computer and the UE, interactive messaging or social communication, interactive virtual or augmented reality, etc.

[0221] Figure 16The exemplary network shown may also include measurement procedures and / or sensors for monitoring network performance metrics, including data rate, latency, and other factors improved by the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein. The exemplary network may also include functionality for reconfiguring the link between endpoints (e.g., host computer and UE) in response to changes in measurement results. Such procedures and functionality are known and practiced; measurements can be facilitated via proprietary signaling between the UE and host computer if the network hides or abstracts the radio interface from the OTT service provider.

[0222] When a UE is configured for communication via multiple cells (e.g., PCell, PSCell, and one or more SCells), the exemplary embodiments described herein provide enhanced technical beam failure recovery. Such embodiments ensure a maximum duration between when the UE detects a beam failure and when the UE finds one or more new beams, and a maximum duration between when the UE detects a beam failure and when the UE determines it cannot find a new beam. Therefore, the ambiguity of UE behavior during the BFD process on the SCell is reduced, mitigated, and / or eliminated. The embodiments can mitigate and / or reduce UE service interruptions due to beam failure. When used in NR UEs (e.g., UE 1610) and gNBs (e.g., gNBs including RAN 1630), the exemplary embodiments described herein provide various improvements, benefits, and / or advantages that facilitate and / or improve the delivery of data services (e.g., URLLC) using beams. This improves the performance of these services as experienced by OTT service providers and end users, including more consistent data throughput and lower latency, without excessive UE power consumption or other degradation of the user experience.

[0223] The foregoing has merely illustrated the principles of this disclosure. Various modifications and variations to the described embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the teachings herein. Therefore, it should be understood that those skilled in the art will be able to design numerous systems, arrangements, and processes that, while not expressly shown or described herein, embody the principles of this disclosure and are therefore within its spirit and scope. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, various exemplary embodiments can be used together and interchangeably.

[0224] As used herein, the term “unit” may have a conventional meaning in the field of electronics, electrical devices and / or electronic devices, and may include, for example, electrical and / or electronic circuits, devices, modules, processors, memories, logic solid-state and / or discrete devices, computer programs or instructions for performing corresponding tasks, processes, calculations, output and / or display functions, such as those described herein.

[0225] Any suitable steps, methods, features, functions, or benefits disclosed herein can be performed by one or more functional units or modules of one or more virtual devices. Each virtual device may include several such functional units. These functional units may be implemented via processing circuitry and other digital hardware, which may include one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers, and the other digital hardware may include digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific digital logic, etc. The processing circuitry may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or more types of memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), cache memory, flash memory devices, optical storage devices, etc. The program code stored in memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and / or data communication protocols, and instructions for implementing one or more of the techniques described herein. In some implementations, according to one or more embodiments of this disclosure, the processing circuitry may be used to cause corresponding functional units to perform corresponding functions.

[0226] As described herein, a device or apparatus may be represented by a semiconductor chip, chipset, or (hardware) module comprising such a chip or chipset; however, this does not preclude the possibility that the functionality of a device or apparatus may be implemented as a software module rather than by hardware, said software module being a computer program or computer program product, such as comprising executable software code for execution or execution on a processor. Furthermore, the functionality of a device or apparatus may be implemented by any combination of hardware and software. A device or apparatus may also be considered as a component of multiple devices and / or apparatuses, whether said multiple devices and / or apparatuses are functionally cooperative or independent of each other. Moreover, devices and apparatuses may be implemented in a distributed manner throughout the system, provided that the functionality of the device or apparatus is preserved. Such and similar principles are considered to be known to those skilled in the art.

[0227] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) shall have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. It will be further understood that the terms used herein shall be interpreted as having the same meaning as they have in the context of this specification and in the relevant field, and shall not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly defined herein.

[0228] Furthermore, certain terms used in this disclosure (including the specification and drawings) may be used synonymously in some instances (e.g., "data" and "information"). It should be understood that while these terms (and / or other terms that are synonymous with each other) may be used synonymously herein, there may be instances where such terms are not intended to be used synonymously. Additionally, to a certain extent, prior art knowledge not explicitly incorporated herein by reference is incorporated herein in its entirety. All cited publications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0229] The embodiments of the technologies and devices described herein also include, but are not limited to, the following enumerated examples:

[0230] A1. A method for configuring a user equipment (UE) for communicating via multiple cells in a wireless network, the method comprising:

[0231] Failure to detect the first beam associated with the first cell among multiple cells;

[0232] Determine the availability of beams other than the first beam associated with the first cell;

[0233] A message indicating the availability or unavailability of other beams associated with the first cell is transmitted via one of multiple cells, wherein:

[0234] After detecting the failure of the first beam, a message is transmitted within the first duration, and

[0235] The first duration is based on the maximum time used to determine the availability of other beams, and on the UE's ability to share beams between different cells in multiple cells.

[0236] A2. The method as described in Example A1, wherein the UE capability regarding beam sharing includes one or more of the following:

[0237] UE capabilities that operate using a beam shared by the first and other cells in a multi-cell network; and

[0238] The carrier frequency difference between the first cell and the other cells in a multi-cell network.

[0239] A3. The method as described in any of embodiments A1 to A2, wherein determining the availability of other beams includes:

[0240] Measure the signal strength of other corresponding beams;

[0241] Availability is determined based on the measured signal strength of at least one of the other beams being higher than a predetermined threshold; and

[0242] Unavailability is determined based on the corresponding measured signal strength of all other beams being below a predetermined threshold.

[0243] A4. The method as described in Example A3, wherein:

[0244] The method further includes, upon detecting a failure of the first beam, starting a timer with a maximum duration for determining the availability of other beams; and

[0245] Unavailability is determined based on the expiration of a timer before the availability of all other beams is determined.

[0246] A5. The method as described in any of the embodiments A1 to A4, wherein:

[0247] The method further includes selecting a second beam from the other beams based on the signal strength measured by the UE, based on determining the availability of other beams; and

[0248] The message indicates the second beam.

[0249] A6. The method as described in Example A5, wherein:

[0250] The first cell is either the primary cell (PCcell) or the primary-secondary cell (PSCell).

[0251] The message is transmitted as a random access (RA) preamble using the random access RA resource corresponding to the second beam via the first cell.

[0252] A7. The method as described in Example A6, wherein:

[0253] The method further includes: based on determining the unavailability of other beams, performing a cell reselection process to select a third beam from the other beams; and

[0254] The message is transmitted as an RA preamble using the RA resources corresponding to the third beam via the first cell.

[0255] A8. The method as described in embodiment A7, wherein the first duration is further based on the periodicity of the RA resource corresponding to the second beam or the third beam.

[0256] A9. The method as described in Example A5, wherein:

[0257] The first cell is the secondary cell (SCell);

[0258] The message is transmitted as a Media Access Control (MAC) message via cells other than the first cell; and

[0259] Other cells are either primary cells (PCcell) or primary-secondary cells (PSCell).

[0260] A10. The method as described in Example A9 further includes:

[0261] Use the resources allocated for beam failure reports to transmit scheduling requests (SRs); and

[0262] In response to the SR, grant permission for the UL resource used to transmit the message.

[0263] A11. The method as described in embodiment A10, wherein the first duration is further based on the periodicity of the resources allocated for beam failure reporting.

[0264] A12. The method as described in any embodiment of Example A6, wherein, based on determining the unavailability of other beams, a message indicates that no other beams are available.

[0265] A13. The method as described in any of embodiments A9 to A12 further includes: based on determining the unavailability of other beams, and after sending a message, suppressing one or more operations with respect to the SCell to reduce at least one of the following: UE energy consumption and uplink (UL) interference.

[0266] A14. The method as described in embodiment A13, wherein one or more operations are suppressed during a second duration configured by the wireless network.

[0267] A15. The method as described in any of the embodiments A13 to A14, wherein one or more operations include any of the following:

[0268] Monitor at least one downlink (DL) signal or channel associated with the first cell;

[0269] Monitor all DL signals or channels associated with the first cell;

[0270] Transmit at least one uplink (UL) signal or channel associated with the first cell; and

[0271] Transmit all UL signals or channels associated with the first cell.

[0272] B1. A method for communicating with a user equipment (UE) via a beam associated with a plurality of cells in a wireless network, the method comprising:

[0273] Transmit the first beam associated with the first cell among multiple cells; and

[0274] The UE receives a message from one of multiple cells indicating the availability or unavailability of other beams associated with the first cell, wherein:

[0275] After the UE detects the failure of the first beam, it receives messages within the first duration, and

[0276] The first duration is based on the maximum time used to determine the availability of other beams, and on the UE's ability to share beams between different cells in multiple cells.

[0277] B2. The method as described in Example B1, wherein the UE capability regarding beam sharing includes one or more of the following:

[0278] UE capabilities that operate using a beam shared by the first and other cells in a multi-cell network; and

[0279] The carrier frequency difference between the first cell and the other cells in a multi-cell network.

[0280] B3. The method as described in any of embodiments B1 to B2, further comprising: configuring a timer start value for the UE corresponding to the maximum time for determining the availability of other beams after a beam failure is detected.

[0281] B4. The method as described in any of embodiments B1 to B3, further comprising: configuring a signal strength threshold for the UE to determine the availability of other beams associated with the first cell.

[0282] B5. The method as described in any of the embodiments B1 to B4, wherein:

[0283] The first cell is either the primary cell (PCcell) or the primary-secondary cell (PSCell).

[0284] The message indicates the second beam among multiple beams selected by the UE; and

[0285] The message is received as a random access (RA) preamble using the random access RA resource corresponding to the second beam via the first cell.

[0286] B6. The method as described in Example B5, wherein the first duration is further based on the periodicity of the RA resource corresponding to the second beam.

[0287] B7. The method as described in any of the embodiments B1 to B4, wherein:

[0288] The first cell is the secondary cell (SCell);

[0289] The message is received as a Media Access Control (MAC) message via cells other than the first cell; and

[0290] Other cells are either primary cells (PCcell) or primary-secondary cells (PSCell).

[0291] B8. The method as described in Example B7 further includes:

[0292] Receive scheduling requests (SRs) from the UE within the resources allocated for beam failure reporting; and

[0293] In response to the SR, grant permission to the UE for UL resources used to transmit messages is sent.

[0294] B9. The method as described in Example B8, wherein the first duration is further based on the periodicity of the resources allocated for beam failure reporting.

[0295] B10. The method as described in any of embodiments B7 to B9, wherein when the message indicates the availability of other beams, the message also indicates a second beam among a plurality of beams selected by the UE.

[0296] B11. The method as described in any of the embodiments B7 to B9, wherein the message indicates that no other beam is available.

[0297] C1. A user equipment (UE) configured for communication via multiple cells in a wireless network, the UE comprising:

[0298] A radio transceiver circuit configured to communicate with one or more network nodes via multiple cells; and

[0299] A processing circuit operatively coupled to a radio transceiver circuit, wherein the processing circuit and the radio transceiver circuit are configured to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods in embodiments A1 to A15.

[0300] C2. A user equipment (UE) configured to communicate via a plurality of cells in a wireless network, the UE being further arranged to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods in embodiments A1 to A15.

[0301] C3. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry of a user equipment (UE) configured to communicate via a plurality of cells in a wireless network, configure the UE to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods in embodiments A1 to A15.

[0302] C4. A computer program product including computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by processing circuitry of a user equipment (UE) configured to communicate via a plurality of cells in a wireless network, configure the UE to perform any of the methods corresponding to embodiments A1 to A15.

[0303] D1. A wireless network configured to communicate with a user equipment (UE) via beams associated with multiple cells, the wireless network comprising one or more network nodes, the network nodes comprising:

[0304] A radio network interface circuit configured to communicate with the UE via multiple cells; and

[0305] A processing circuit operatively coupled to a radio network interface circuit, wherein the processing circuit and the radio network interface circuit are configured to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods in embodiments B1 to B11.

[0306] D2. A wireless network configured to communicate with a user equipment (UE) via beams associated with multiple cells, the wireless network including one or more network nodes arranged to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods in embodiments B1 to B11.

[0307] D3. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry of one or more network nodes in a wireless network, configure the wireless network to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods in embodiments B1 to B11.

[0308] D4. A computer program product including computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by processing circuitry of one or more network nodes in a wireless network, configure the wireless network to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods in embodiments B1 to B11.

Claims

1. A method for a user equipment (UE) to communicate with a wireless network via multiple cells, the method comprising: Failure of detection (1210) of the first beam associated with the first cell among the plurality of cells; Determine (1230) the availability or unavailability of other beams associated with the first cell besides the first beam; and Transmit (1280) a message indicating the availability or unavailability of the other beams associated with the first cell to one of the plurality of cells, wherein: After detecting the failure of the first beam, the message is transmitted within a first duration, and The first duration is based on the maximum time used to determine the availability of the other beams, and on the periodicity of the resources allocated for beam failure reports in the cell where the message is transmitted.

2. The method as described in claim 1, wherein, The first duration is further based on: The UE's ability to operate using independent or common beams of the first cell and other cells among the plurality of cells; and The carrier frequency difference between the first cell and the other cells in the plurality of cells.

3. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein, Determining the availability or unavailability of the other beams (1230) includes: Measure the signal strength of other beams corresponding to (1231); Availability is determined based on the measured signal strength of at least one of the other beams being higher than a predetermined threshold; and (1233) unavailability is determined based on the fact that the corresponding measured signal strength of all the other beams is lower than the predetermined threshold.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein: The method further includes, upon detecting a failure of the first beam, activating (1220) a timer having a maximum time for determining the availability of the other beams; and Determining (1230) availability or unavailability further includes determining (1234) unavailability based on the expiration of the timer prior to determining the availability of the other beams.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein: The method further includes selecting (1240) a second beam from the other beams based on the signal strength measured by the UE, based on determining the availability of the other beams; and The message indicates the second beam.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein: The first cell is either a primary cell (PCell) or a primary-secondary cell group (PSCell). In the first cell, the message is transmitted as a random access RA preamble using the random access RA resource corresponding to the selected second beam.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising: Based on the determination of the unavailability of other beams, a (1250) cell reselection procedure is performed to select a third beam among the other beams, wherein, in the first cell, the message is transmitted as an RA preamble using the RA resources corresponding to the selected third beam.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The first duration is based on the periodicity of the RA resource corresponding to the following: The second beam, when selected based on determined availability; or The third beam is selected when it is determined to be unavailable.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein: The first cell is the secondary cell SCell; and The message is transmitted as a Media Access Control (MAC) message to the primary cell PCell or the primary / secondary cell group PSCell.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising: Use the resources allocated for beam failure reports to transmit (1260) scheduling request SR; as well as In response to the SR, receive (1270) permission for uplink resources to transmit the message.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The first duration is based on the periodicity of the resources allocated for SR associated with beam failure recovery.

12. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 11, wherein, Based on the determination that other beams are unavailable, the message indicates that no other beams are available.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: Based on determining the unavailability of other beams and after transmitting the message, suppressing (1290) one or more operations with respect to the SCell to reduce at least one of the following: UE power consumption; and uplink UL interference.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The UE suppresses the one or more operations for a second duration configured by the wireless network.

15. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 14, wherein, The one or more operations include any of the following: Monitor at least one downlink DL signal or channel associated with the first cell; Monitor all DL signals or channels associated with the first cell; Transmit at least one UL signal or channel associated with the first cell; and Transmit all UL signals or channels associated with the first cell.

16. A method for one or more network nodes in a wireless network to communicate with a user equipment (UE) via multiple cells, the method comprising: Transmit (1320) the first beam associated with the first cell among the plurality of cells; as well as The UE receives (1350) a message from one of the plurality of cells indicating the availability or unavailability of beams other than the first beam associated with the first cell, wherein: After the UE detects the failure of the first beam, it receives the message within a first duration, and The first duration is based on the maximum time used to determine the availability of the other beams, and on the periodicity of the resources allocated for beam failure reports in the cell where the message is received.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein, The first duration is further based on: The UE's ability to operate using independent or common beams of the first cell and other cells among the plurality of cells; and The carrier frequency difference between the first cell and the other cells in the plurality of cells.

18. The method of any one of claims 16 to 17, further comprising: Configure the UE with one or more of the following: The timer start value corresponds to the maximum time used to determine the availability of other beams after a beam failure is detected; and The signal strength threshold used to determine the availability of other beams after a beam failure is detected.

19. The method of any one of claims 16 to 17, wherein: The first cell is either a primary cell (PCell) or a primary / secondary cell (PSCell); and When the message indicates availability: The message indicates the second beam among the plurality of beams selected by the UE; and In the first cell, the message is received as a random access RA preamble using the random access RA resource corresponding to the second beam.

20. The method of any one of claims 16 to 17, wherein, When the message indicates unavailability: The message indicates the third beam among the plurality of beams selected by the UE; and In the first cell, the message is received as a random access RA preamble using the random access RA resource corresponding to the third beam.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein, The first duration is based on the periodicity of the RA resource corresponding to the following: The second beam, when the message indicates availability.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein, The first duration is based on the periodicity of the RA resource corresponding to the following: The third beam is used when the message indicates unavailability.

23. The method of any one of claims 16 to 17, wherein: The first cell is the secondary cell SCell; and In the primary cell PCell or the primary / secondary cell PSCell, the message is received as a Media Access Control (MAC) message.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising: Receive a scheduling request SR (1330) from the UE in the resources allocated for beam failure reporting; as well as In response to the SR, granting permission for uplink resources to transmit the message is sent to the UE (1340).

25. The method of claim 24, wherein, The first duration is based on the periodicity of the resources allocated for SR associated with beam failure recovery.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein, When the message indicates the availability of other beams, the message also indicates a second beam among the plurality of beams selected by the UE.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein, The message indicates that no other beams are available.

28. The method of any one of claims 16 to 17, wherein, Apply one of the following: A single network node transmits the first beam and receives the message; or The first network node transmits the first beam, and the second network node receives the message.

29. A user equipment (UE) (120, 405, 810, 1010, 1400, 1610) configured to communicate with a wireless network (100, 499, 1630) via a plurality of cells, the UE comprising: A radio transceiver circuit (1440) configured to communicate with one or more network nodes (105, 110, 115, 410, 420, 820, 1020, 1500) via the plurality of cells; and A processing circuit (1410) operatively coupled to the radio transceiver circuit, wherein the processing circuit and the radio transceiver circuit are configured to: Failure to detect the first beam associated with the first cell among the plurality of cells; Determine the availability or unavailability of other beams associated with the first cell besides the first beam; as well as A message indicating the availability or unavailability of the other beams associated with the first cell is transmitted to one of the plurality of cells, wherein: After detecting the failure of the first beam, the message is transmitted within a first duration, and The first duration is based on the maximum time used to determine the availability of the other beams, and on the periodicity of the resources allocated for beam failure reports in the cell where the message is transmitted.

30. The UE as claimed in claim 29, wherein, The processing circuit and the radio transceiver circuit are further configured to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods of claims 2 to 15.

31. A user equipment (UE) (120, 405, 810, 1010, 1400, 1610) configured to communicate via a plurality of cells and a wireless network (100, 499, 1630), the UE comprising: Memory; A processor coupled to the memory, the processor being configured to: Failure to detect the first beam associated with the first cell among the plurality of cells; Determine the availability or unavailability of other beams associated with the first cell besides the first beam; as well as A message indicating the availability or unavailability of the other beams associated with the first cell is transmitted to one of the plurality of cells, wherein: After detecting the failure of the first beam, the message is transmitted within a first duration, and The first duration is based on the maximum time used to determine the availability of the other beams, and on the periodicity of the resources allocated for beam failure reports in the cell where the message is transmitted.

32. The UE of claim 31 is further configured to perform an operation corresponding to any of the methods of claims 2 to 15.

33. A non-transitory computer-readable medium (1420) storing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processing circuit (1410) of a user equipment (UE) (120, 405, 810, 1010, 1400, 1610) configured to communicate via a plurality of cells and wireless networks (100, 499, 1630), configure the UE to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods of claims 1 to 15.

34. A computer program product (1421) including computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processing circuit (1410) of a user equipment (UE) (120, 405, 810, 1010, 1400, 1610) configured to communicate via a plurality of cells and a wireless network (100, 499, 1630), configure the UE to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods of claims 1 to 15.

35. A wireless network (100, 499, 1630) comprising one or more network nodes (105, 110, 115, 410, 420, 820, 1020, 1500) configured to communicate with a user equipment (UE) (120, 405, 810, 1010, 1400, 1610) via a plurality of cells, said one or more network nodes comprising: A radio network interface circuit (1540) configured to communicate with the UE via the plurality of cells. as well as A processing circuit (1510) operatively coupled to the radio network interface circuit, wherein the processing circuit and the radio network interface circuit are configured to: Transmit the first beam associated with the first cell among the plurality of cells; as well as The UE in one of the plurality of cells receives a message indicating the availability or unavailability of beams other than the first beam associated with the first cell, wherein: After the UE detects the failure of the first beam, it receives the message within a first duration, and The first duration is based on the maximum time used to determine the availability of the other beams, and on the periodicity of the resources allocated for beam failure reports in the cell where the message is received.

36. The wireless network of claim 35, wherein, The processing circuitry and the radio network interface circuitry are further configured to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods of claims 17 to 28.

37. A wireless network (100, 499, 1630) comprising one or more network nodes (105, 110, 115, 410, 420, 820, 1020, 1500) configured to communicate with a user equipment (UE) (120, 405, 810, 1010, 1400, 1610) via a plurality of cells, said one or more network nodes being configured to: Transmit a first beam associated with a first cell among the plurality of cells; and The UE in one of the plurality of cells receives a message indicating the availability or unavailability of beams other than the first beam associated with the first cell, wherein: After the UE detects the failure of the first beam, it receives the message within a first duration, and The first duration is based on the maximum time used to determine the availability of the other beams, and on the periodicity of the resources allocated for beam failure reports in the cell where the message is received.

38. The wireless network of claim 37, wherein, The one or more network nodes are further configured to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods of claims 17 to 28.

39. A non-transitory computer-readable medium (1520) storing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by processing circuitry (1510) of one or more network nodes (105, 110, 115, 410, 420, 820, 1020, 1500) in a wireless network (100, 499, 1630), configure the one or more network nodes to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods of claims 16 to 28.

40. A computer program product (1521) comprising computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by processing circuitry (1510) of one or more network nodes (105, 110, 115, 410, 420, 820, 1020, 1500) in a wireless network (100, 499, 1630), configure the one or more network nodes to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods of claims 16-28.

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